Let the Changes be Few
by purplewinx
Summary: Senior year is here. Tootie must find where she stands with Timmy. Trixie is powermad. Veronica is angry. Timmy is confused about Tootie. And what is it that the new student Taylor doesn't want to share? Oh, the bittersweetness of it all.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show "The Fairly Odd Parents"...(mutters) but I wish I did. (gets hit on the arm.) OW! What!

Summary: The gang is in their Senior year of high school. After years of wanted his attention, is Tootie finally winning Timmy over? And more importantly, with the new guy from Ohio named Taylor hanging around, will Tootie even want Timmy? Trixie and Veronica have finally lost it. They're going on a "popularity" power trip that makes "Mean Girls" look like afternoon tea. And with everybody as their targets, what is anybody to do?

* * *

BUZZ...BUZZ..BUZZ..The alarm clock went off with a obnoxious buzzing that made her wake up with an irritation every single morning. The very sound of it made her want to scream in annoyance. This was how she woke up every day, in a repetitive schedule of emotions: 

5:45 : Wake up; irritated by the irritating sound of buzzing that scraped her nerves. (why couldn't the dumb clock beep instead?)  
5:47 : Go to the bathroom to brush teeth; critical of her reflection staring back at her. _Your hair shouldn't be black. Your skin is too pale. Are your teeth shifting back again? Your contacts seem to be making your eyes red. Your eyebrows don't have enough arch..._ This was followed by a feeling of sadness. She felt too plain. She felt she wasn't pretty, and looking at her reflection seemed like a painful reminder. She forced herself not to look at her reflection as was her general routine.  
5:53 : Go through closet, and find something to wear; chagrined that no matter what she wore, she'd never get Timmy to notice her as more than a friend. This was followed by a self-scolding, chastising herself for being ungrateful. _At least he acknowledges you now. Can't you be glad over that? Before, he wouldn't even talk to you, and at least now he says hello to you at school. _This was followed by shame over her "ungratefulness", and anger over the fact that no matter how grateful she was, it wasn't going to get attention from any guy.  
6:00 : Eat breakfast, satisfied by wicked daydreams of various ways of Trixie's downfall: Trixie starting a fight with Tootie, followed by Tootie swiftly taking her down, and Timmy realizing his undying love for her...Trixie as a dragon trying to destroy Tootie, and Timmy as her knight in shining armor...Trixie falling from the top of the cheerleading pyramid, and breaking a leg... all of which would never happen because Tootie was too nice of a person.  
6:30: Drive to school; anxiously mentally preparing herself for another day of torture, reminding her of how friendless she was, how she'd never have a relationship, how she'd never be anything more than "that cute geek who used to stalk Timmy" and "that hot nerdy girl". C_ute...hot...hmph. I must not be _that_ cute, considering guys are too worried about their social status to date me..._

Repeat every day for the whole school year.

Before she knew it, she was at school. She parked her car in the student parking lot of Dimmsdale High School, home of the Dimmsdale Dodos.

She sighed. Despite all of the negative feelings she had during the morning, she was normally her cheery self by the middle of first period. She dragged herself into the school, braced for another day.

* * *

Finally, lunch. The one place where everyone acted like school was a nightclub. Where guys tried to hit on girls, only to get hit themselves, where girls primped to impress guys, and where couples basically did nothing but guess what their signifigant other ate for lunch by trying to get a taste themselves, with the occasional hand wandering to places they shouldn't be at all, especially during school. 

She scanned the cafeteria, and smiled when she saw the few people that tolerated her. She walked over and sat down by Chester, across from A.J. and Timmy. "Hey, guys."

"Hey, Tootie." A.J. and Chester said. Timmy just gave a small smile and proceeded to eat his lunch. Even though Tootie hadn't done anything to bug him since they were 12, he was a little paranoid that she might relapse. She was going to prove him wrong.

He looked up at her again, and instantly, her heart fluttered. She loved his eyes. They were a piercing blue, and slightly hidden behind his brown hair, which was now shaggy. On his head, he wore a backwards pink baseball cap. He was dressed in a pink button down shirt, which he had open, to reveal a white tee shirt underneath, He wore the traditional baggy jeans, but had the sense to pull them up after falling over them. But even with them pulled up, they had the baggy look everyone tried to aquire. And on his feet were black and white sneakers.

He had changed his look quite a bit since he was ten. But then again, so had she. She now wore her hair down, and it fell, resting below her shoulders. She wore plain tee shirts that fit her enough to show curve, but were loose enough to keep her from looking like she were running for "slut of the year", and a pair of jeans, with white sneakers.

A lot had changed since they were ten. Tad and Chad were no longer the "dangerous duo", since Tad moved away. But Chad, Trixie and Veronica ruled the school twice as hard as they used to, as if to make up for Tad, tenfold. Trixie and Timmy went on one date in the eighth grade, but Trixie was too preoccupied with everything else to pay any attention to Timmy.

In the ninth grade, Veronica nearly lost her mind, stalking him in secret, fearing somebody would find out. She even tried to seduce him. That way, if anyone found out that the two were together, she could quickly blame Timmy, and say he was blackmailing her. Then, all blame would be pointed towards him, and she'd get off scotch free. Fortunately, Timmy feared Veronica too much to even _think_ about doing ANYTHING with her.

And now, Trixie and Veronica were the most popular girls in school, and their popularity status shot up more because they were seniors. And who doesn't want to be like the most popular girls in school, especially when they're seniors in high school? So Trixie flounced around school in a white mini skirt and boots, with a tight purple sweater that was so tight that guys always looked at her, in case the seams of the shirt should rip and reveal her to the world. Tootie still didn't understand why Timmy still liked the girl. She was even more of a B-tch than she used to be, and was borderline powertrip. She had started nasty umors about Tootie and even though they never lasted long, they still hurt. Rumor had it she had even slept with a teacher so that she wouldn't fail the class. But that was only rumor of course. The thing that surprised Tootie was that despite the fact that it was believable, and despite the fact that everybody talked about it every day, nobody believed it, and no higher authority was looking into it, or even considering investigating it.

Veronica, on the other hand, basically walked around in dark denim mini skirts, and tank tops so tight that her breasts seemed to spill out of them. However, they weren't the only ones to change. The Boil kid, who's name was Elmer, had changed a lot too. Around eighth grade, the boil went away. He let his red hair get a little messy, and he dyed his hair so it wouldn't be so bright. He ended up looking like he had reddish brown hair, and dyed the ends of it black. He started wearing all black clothing, and ended up becoming "emo". Much to his surprise, this attracted a lot of girls. Turns out he was cute when his face cleared up, leaving some freckles that only added to his charm. Despite the major change, he still remained friends with Timmy and the gang, and kept in touch after they moved to England, due to his dad being transferred.

Sanjay kept his hair neatly cut, and due to all of the military training from his dad, he developed some muscle. While he wasn't overly muscular, like Jorgen or his dad, he had just enough. The fact that his muscles weren't monstrous, and that he didn't let himself develop an ego were a few reasons why a lot of people looked up to him. He still dressed the way he used to, and the clothes hid the fact that years on the soccer team had blessed him. He exchanged the glasses for contacts, and he was all set.

A.J. was still bald, but it worked for him. He wore a variety of things, his favorite being jeans and tee shirts. He even found a sport he was good at. Baseball. Who would've known?

And Chester remained the same. He ended up cutting his hair, but kept it a little shaggy. He generally wore jeans and a black tee shirt with a blue button down shirt over it. A girl even developed a crush on him. She liked his personality, and his looks. Freckles on a 17 year old boy gave him the boyish teenager appearance that she liked.

Tootie looked away from Timmy, trying to appear disinterested. Everybody thought she was over him. She preferred to keep it that way. The less people knew, the better off she was. She saw a boy in the lunch line smile at her. He was cute, with curly blonde hair. He wore a dark purple faded tee shirt that advertised a rock band on it, and a long sleeved white shirt underneath. With it, he wore some jeans, and he wore a pair of sleek, light blue sunglasses. If stereotypes ruled her school, then everyone would probably say he was a surfer from a different region of California. But still, he seemed to be getting attention. Plenty of girls were looking over at him and giggling, but he seemed oblivious to it all.

After paying for his lunch, he walked over to where she was sitting. "Uh...hi. Is it ok if I sit with you guys?"

"Sure, man. Anyone is welcome to sit with us." Chester said. Even if stereotypes didn't rule too highly at Dimmsdale High, cliques more than made up for it. And it was painfully obvious.

The boy took a seat next to Tootie, and gave a friendly smile, which she returned.

"So, are you new?" Timmy asked.

"Yeah, I am." the blonde boy answered. "I just moved here from Ohio two days ago."

"Well, welcome to Dimmsdale, California." Tootie smiled again.

The boy did a dramatic gasp "Oh, thank you!" he joked and gave her a huge hug. "I've been waiting to hear those words for an eternity! Where have you been all my life?" he laughed, and so did everyone at the table. Tootie giggled, and blushed when she realized that her voice was a lot higher. She quickly spoke up before anybody could say something.

"So, uh, what's your name?"

"I'm Taylor." he smiled.

"I'm Timmy, he's A.J., she's Tootie, and he's Chester."

"Nice to meet all of you."

"Right back at ya, dude!" Chester grinned.

"So...Tootie..." he wore a quizzical grin.

"Actually, my name's Virginia." she quickly cut in, feeling a bit embarrassed by a nickname that never bothered her before, "I honestly would've preferred Jenny as a nickname, but I'm used to Tootie. I've had it for years.

Taylor's expression became more confused. " But if your name is Virginia, then how'd you end up with _Tootie_?"

Timmy, A.J. and Chester all broke out into outrageous laughter. Tootie blushed a bit, and glared at them. "It's a long story."

"Oh, no...please--" Timmy wiped a few tears from his eyes and lifted his head from his green notebook. " Go, on, _Tootie_--tel--tell him!"

"You're...gonna love this!" A.J. managed to say between laughs.

Taylor looked at Tootie, a puzzled look on his face. "Um...is this one of those things that I'm _never_ going to get? Like the Matrix?"

"I wish it was." Tootie muttered.

"I bet you do!" Chester snickered.

Tootie crossed her arms, and glared at the three laughing boys. They were embarrassing her. She knew it was funny, and didn't blame them for laughing. In fact, when her parents first told her why they gave her that nickname, she found it to be the most hilarious thing on earth. But did they have to laugh so hard about it right _now_? In front of Taylor? She really didn't want him to know. _Wait._ she thought, _Why do I care what Taylor thinks? I mean, sure he's cute, and stuff, but I just met him! We'll probably end up being just friends anyway. So why do I care so much? Just tell him. It's not like I like him or anything._

"My nickname is Tootie because...uh..." she trailed off, hesitant to say anything. "Because..." But she found she couldn't say it. She didn't want to. "Um, on second thought, I'll tell you later."

"I'll hold you to that." he laughed.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because they are." he started to laugh harder, " I guess laughter really is infectious." And soon Tootie was laughing too.

* * *

"So, Taylor, how did you like your first day at Dimmsdale High, home of the Dodo's?" Tootie made a face as she mentioned the mascot. 

"Well, it was great! And then, you mentioned the mascot." he laughed. The group of friends were driving home, courtesy of Tootie's car, and soon they were all asking him questions about Ohio.

"So, is it really rural there?"

"No, actually, there are a lot of big cities there. And cute girls."

"Dude!" Chesters eyes lit up. "Why didn't you bring them!"

"Sorry, man. I'll remember that next time I go back." he rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"So, what kind of stuff do you have in Ohio that you don't have here?"

"Snow."

And so on went the conversation. After a while, Taylor stopped. "Well, this is where I break off from you guys."

"What do you mean?" Tootie asked, a little disappointed that he had to leave.

"I live that way," he pointed to the left, "and you guys live in the opposite direction."

"Well, hey, we can drop you off" A.J. offered.

"No, it's ok."

"Well, are you sure?" Timmy asked, "I mean, you really don't have to walk."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll see you guys tomorrow, ok?" Taylor said quickly and before anyone could say anything, he jumped out of the car. "Thanks for the ride!"

"No problem." Tootie called, and pulled back onto the road.

"That was a bit strange." Chester said.

"Yeah, but hey, maybe he just doesn't want us to see his house yet. They just moved here. Maybe the yard is a mess or something." Tootie shrugged.

Timmy stared at her, curiosity building up. So he asked what seemed like a general question, "What do you guys think of Taylor? He's pretty cool."

"Yeah, definitely. "A.J. nodded in agreement.

"He's really funny. Love the Ohio sense of humor." Chester chuckled.

"Yeah. He's really cool..." Tootie said, a slight blush on her face. She knew Timmy was staring at her, and she wanted to look right back at him. But out of the corner of her eye, she was an expression she'd never seen before, and she wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to know what it was. But she was pretty sure he was scrutinizing her.

Whatever it was, she didn't care too much. She was just happy to be the center of his attention for once. But it felt strange. It _was _strange. Normally, if he was staring at her with such focus, he'd be the only thing on her mind. But he wasn't. In the back of her mind, she was thinking about Taylor.

oooooooooooooooo

I hope you like it! And don't worry, it's not a Mary-sue. There are no original characters in this story. (Dont let this confuse you.) lol. Please review and tell me what you think. I know this first chapter was boring, but it'll get better, I swear. I just had to get the informational stuff out of the way. Now you guys know how they met Taylor, and what they look like, and how everyone has changed. So now, we can get to the good stuff! (laughs evily.)


	2. Chapter 2

Ok, here's chapter two. Oh, and by the way, Taylor isn't really a surfer boy, he just looks like one. That was the only way I could describe his appearance. (Don't worry, I'm not a stereotypical person, but whenever I see that kind of shaggy hairstyle, it reminds me of my friend Mike, who does a lot of surfing. So, there you go. : ) )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters, or show, Fairly Odd Parents.

* * *

Tootie sighed. The car was so much quieter. She had dropped off A.J., and then Chester. She was down the street from Timmy's house. And he usually never had much to say to her, so she usually spent the time enjoying the silence. But not today. 

"Hey, Tootie?"

Tootie blinked in surprise. Was there another Tootie in the car that she was unaware of? An imaginary friend that he had yet to let go of? Because there was no way he was really talking to her. Then she realized how childish she was being, and decided to answer him before he thought she was upset with him for something. "Yes?"

"You passed my house."

Tootie felt a flash of disappointment. But it didn't surprise her. Had she really expected him to have a lot to say to her? Nah. Just wishful thinking. She pulled the car into her driveway, so that she could turn around and go back to his house.

"No, it's ok. You don't have to turn around just to drop me off. I can walk. I only live four houses down from you. It's not a big deal." he shot her a smile. She thought it best to return it and mask her disappointment.

"Ok, then." She shut off the car and stuck the key in her purse. Timmy grabbed his bookbag and got out of the car. Surprisingly, he walked over to her door and opened it. Tootie blinked, surprised. She knew they weren't ten anymore, but Timmy...going out of his way to be nice... to _her_? She smiled and got out of the car.

"Thanks." she put her own backpack on her shoulder, and shut the door. "And to what do I owe this act of chivalry?" she joked.

"T'was nothing, m'lady, just doing what I do best." he grinned again. "Besides, I think it's time I let go of the past. It's pretty apparent you aren't going to relapse."

Tootie's face darkened a bit. "Timmy, I haven't done anything like that since we were twelve. And if it took you up to now to realize that I'm not going to relapse, then I really don't know what to do." She tried to step away from her car and walk towards her house, but Timmy blocked her.

"Wait! No, Tootie, I didn't mean to make you mad. I'm sorry."

Tootie sighed. "You didn't. It just bothers me that...well... Timmy, did it really take you that long to realize that I'm not going to act like I did when I was ten?"

"No, not really. I mean, I knew it ever since you vowed to stop. When you set your mind to something, you stick to it, I know that. But, I kind of miss it."

"You mean you miss having a girl stalk you, and smother you with kisses?" Tootie smirked, "You know, guys usually tend to go for that kind of thing in high school. If you'd have hung in there for just a few more years, it really would've upped your status with Trixie."

"Wha- how do you know that?" Timmy furrowed his brow, puzzled.

"Because, Timmy, I'm a girl, just like Trixie. And girls tend want things they can't have. So if you were to appear unavailable, she'd think you had no interest in her, and she'd go after you, simply so that she could make you want her. All girls know of that little trick, whether they're popular or not." she raised an eyebrow, daring him to challenge her. _Go on, Timmy. Do it. I dare you...You can't outsmart me in this area._

"That makes sense. And I'd probably ask you to relapse...if I still liked Trixie."

Tootie's eyebrows shot up again, but this time in surprise. "What? Since when have you stopped liking Trixie?"

"I've been over her since the middle of the tenth grade." he crossed his arms and gave a smug smile,"You're not the only one who can get over a long time crush."

_If only you knew..._

"But...how could-" Tootie stopped herself to regain her composure, and attempted to speak again,"Well, Timmy, why didn't you tell me you were over Trixie?"

Timmy hiked his bookbag farther up onto his shoulder. "Well, Tootie," he said curtly, giving a sly grin, "You never asked."

And with another sly grin, he walked down the driveway, and headed down the street for his house.

Tootie stared after him, a grin slowly growing on her face. She could get used to the friendly yet sarcastic banter. Being top on the speech and debate team, she never thought that he would be a worthy opponent, without even trying. With a grin, she yelled, "This isn't over, Turner!"

"What? I can't hear you!" he broke into a run. "You're too far away!"

"You know you can hear me!" she stifled a laugh.

"See you tomorrow!" he called, giving a wave without looking back. Tootie couldn't help it. She laughed. And with that laugh came some relief. When she met Taylor, earlier that day, she thought she was falling for him. But a part of her didn't want to, because she still believed that she and Timmy were meant for each other. But now, she realized that her emotions for Taylor weren't even puppy love. Just happiness that a guy could be her friend without her being the most popular girl in school.

* * *

When Timmy reached his house, he looked back up the street to see if Tootie was still there. She wasn't. She was walking on the path that led to her backyard. He grinned, and let out a chuckle. Tootie wasn't so bad, and he'd never had doubts that she was. He just didn't want to let go of the old Tootie, the girl who used to like him. In truth, he liked her. A lot. _But she's over me now..._

He thought back to what he'd said earlier, _"And I'd probably ask you to relapse...if I still liked Trixie"..._ His face blushed with embarrassment at the remembrance of it. At first, he'd thought that hinting that he liked her was a good idea. But now, he was regretting it. What if she figured out what he actually meant? Then their friendship would be ruined.

He walked into the house, which was empty since his parents were gone. They left a note.

_Timmy,  
We've gone to the Cake n' Bacon restaurant. We're sorry we had to go without you, but we'll bring you back a plate._

_Mom and Dad._

"Don't bother to bring me a plate, "Timmy moaned, "I hate that restaurant." However, he loved when they went out. It gave him time to relax, since Vicky was gone.

_Vicky..._he thought, _now there's a person I never thought I'd think about again._ It'd been years since Vicky stopped being his babysitter. When he turned 15, he didn't need her anymore. She'd gotten a lot kinder after most of her clients stopped needing her. After she left for college, she'd sent a letter to make amends with her little sister. In the letter, she even told her to "Say hello, and I'm sorry, to the twerp for me." Twerp. After she softened her heart, she used that nickname out of affection rather than hatred for all of her clients. But her bossiness remained, and it served her well; she was now the head of her own building in Colorado as - oh, the irony of it - a social worker.

Timmy sighed, and went to his room. His thoughts of Vicky had distracted him for a moment, but his mind was now back to Tootie. He flopped onto his bed. He didn't know what to do about his dilema. Of course, there were two people who did. He looked at the fishbowl next to his bed. It was empty. A tear ran down his cheek. _Cosmo and Wanda...I miss you guys..._

He had turned 18 the previous week, and along with that came the loss of his fairy god parents. To him, it wasn't fair. He technically wasn't supposed to lose them until he was old enough to stop believing in fairies. Even though he was 18, he still believed. However, there were a lot more miserable children now - a lot more than there had been when he was 10. In fact, there were so many miserable children that for the first time in history, Fairy World didn't have enough fairies to help every unhappy child. So as soon as a child turned 18, they had to give up their fairies, whether they still believed or not. But to make up for it, Wanda was actually willing to break "Da Rules" to grant him one last wish before they were taken away - "I wish I didn't have to forget you!". And he hadn't.

He wished they were here to help him now. But at the same time, he knew exactly what they'd tell him. Cosmo would make himself look like a Jedi, and say, "Use the pudding, Timmy. Use the pudding." Wanda, on the other hand, would give more sound advice. But Timmy was going to do this his way. In a way that he knew would make them proud. But still, as happy as he was about his plan, he was sure that Tootie would never like him as more than a friend ever again.

* * *

Tootie sighed in happiness as she fell into the soft grass. She'd actually had a real conversation with Timmy! Not just pathetic small talk to make sure that their friendship didn't cross over to nothing, a line it was always teetering on. _So, he doesn't have a problem with me after all!_ She smiled again, and gave a squeal of girlish delight.

She had thought that he didn't like her anymore, especially in the past week. He hardly acknowledged her. She remembered how she'd tried to wish him a happy birthday, only to have him thank her half heartedly and request to be alone. He wouldn't even look at her for the rest of the week, making her sure he hated her. _But he doesn't!_ And the events from a few minutes ago proved it: they had a fun conversation, filled with banter, and he'd even seemed a little - unless her mind was fooling her - flirty!

Her heart flipped at the thought. But still, she reminded herself to keep a sensible head. There's a difference in seeing something, and seeing what you want to see, and she knew that. She was sure that the flirting was all in her mind. She was sure Timmy would never like her as more than a friend.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own, so don't sue. Are we all clear? Goooooood.

* * *

_Ding-dong_

Tootie was still sleeping. She groggily opened her eyes, just slightly. From where she stood, she was still asleep.

_Ding-dong_

She reached over to push the snooze button on her alarm clock. "Ten more minutes." she muttered, her speech slurred from tiredness.

_Ding-dong...Ding-dong_

Tootie realized it wasn't her alarm clock going off, and climbed outof bed. She managed to make it to the front door, despite the fact that her eyes were closed. She was so sleepy that she couldn't get her eyes to open, and frankly, she didn't care to. She managed to get them open just a bit, and it looked like she was squinting. She opened the door. It was Timmy.

"Oh, hi, Timmy..." she slurred groggily. Her eyes were completely shut again and she stood, swaying back and forth in a slow, unsteady rhythm. It seemed that she was going to fall over, but she didn't.

* * *

Timmy blushed at the sight of Tootie. She was in a green tank top, and matching shorts that were, well, very short. _Very_ short. She'd never even _consider_ wearing something like that in public. He couldn't help but notice that she had very nice legs, and immediately, he was grateful that she never wore anything like this in public. He didn't know how long he'd be able to bear it if guys were flirting with her wherever they went. 

"Uh...h-hey, Tootie. I thought I'd just come over here in the morning. That way you wouldn't have to stop at my house to pick me up. It'd save you a lot of gas money in the long run, and that will be a good thing, considering we're going to college soon, and we'll need all the money we can get..." Timmy stopped himself when he realized he was rambling. "And I also came over because my mom made those stuffed french toast bars that you like so much." He lifted up a papter plate covered in tin foil, and then placed it down on the end table next to the door. "She knows that you love them, and thought it'd be nice if I br--" Tootie fell over, right onto him.

She had fallen asleep after she'd greeted him. Her head rested on his shoulder, and the rest of her body was leaning on him, as a drunk person might lean on someone if they were attempting to slow dance. He couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved. Here she was in pajamas that she looked _very_ good in, leaning on him, fast asleep. He carefully lifted her up and carried her into the house. After closing the door with his foot, he gently shook her.

* * *

"Tootie. Tootie...Tootie!" 

Tootie awoke with a startled yelp. She looked up and saw Timmy's face. She realized she was in his arms. She gave another yelp. She was certainly awake now! She could already feel herself blushing.

"You can put me down now. I'm awake." she sighed, embarrassed out of her mind. She thanked him when he did, and he explained why he had come over ten minutes before she left to pick up him and everyone else for school.

"That's fine with me." she said. "And tell your mom thanks for the breakfast."

He gave a nod.

"I'm going to go get dressed now." she said as she realized what she was wearing. Man, why hadn't she had the decency to put on a robe before she came down?

"Are you sure you'll be alright up there?" Timmy gave a playful smile. "I mean, just a few minutes ago, you were falling over." He shut his eyes and slowly swayed back and forth in a dramatical fashion before pretending to fall over.

Tootie crossed her arms as he laughed. "Ha. Ha. Very funny. Apparently not funny enough for you to not catch me." she smirked.

"I was only doing the right thing." he returned the smirk with one of his own.

"Ok, well, you win this one, Timmy. But like I said yesterday, this isn't over." she smiled before running upstairs to get ready for school.

* * *

"Hey, guys!" Taylor greeted as he climbed into the backseat of the car with Chester and A.J. 

"Hey, Taylor." Tootie smiled in the rearview mirror at him. When he returned it, she couldn't help but feel special. Call her crazy. _I thought that I didn'tlike Taylor! What's happening? I don't even know Taylor. I thought the feelings were cleared up. Why are they coming back?_

_

* * *

_

"You! Get back here, _freshman_!" Trixie spat at a younger girl in fury. The little redhead turned around. Trixie and Veronica were both standing side by side, with equally angry looks on their faces. This couldn't be anything but trouble for her. Carefully and slowly, the small girl walked over to the two seniors. 

"T-t-t-trixie Tang...it's an honor to meet you. Both y-you and Veronica. You're l-ledgends." she stammered nervously. Maybe flattery would get her out of whatever hideous faux pas she had committed to make them so angry with her.

"I'd actually b-b-believe you, if I hadn't heard that you were t-t-trash talking me!" Trixie screeched in the girl's face, throwing her nervous stammering back at her.

"I didn't! I never would! I-"

"So you didn't call Trixie a slut?" Veronica cut her off. Before the girl even had a chance to answer, she yelled, "Answer me, you ugly little freak!" The girl shook her head wildly, stung by this comment. Veronica looked at Trixie and they had a small conference with their eyes. They both looked back at the girl.

"What's your name?" Trixie asked in a tone that made her unsure of whether she was in the clear, or in the dark.

"Audrey Kenton." She spoke. She didn't dare look them in the eyes, lest they think she was challenging them.

"Audrey Kenton..." Trixie spoke slowly, as if she had taken a bite of a new food and was trying to decide if she liked how it tasted."You can go now."

"I- I can go? So you believe me? You're not going to hurt me?" Audrey ran a hand through her red hair, a newfound relief skittering across her face.

The two older girls laughed as if they'd just heard the most hilarious joke. "No! Of course we don't believe you!" Trixie laughed. Audrey felt a chill travel her spine. They didn't believe her, but they were laughing as if they were happy. Something was wrong.

"But,"Veronica sighed, her laughter gone, but the smile still there, "We're not going to hurt you."

Audrey let a small whoosh of air.

"We let our flunkys handle that."

The color drained from Audrey's face. She was going to get beaten up? But she hadn't even done anything!

"Well,"Trixie said, as if taking something into consideration. "Maybe we'll hurt you too, but just a little."

Before Audrey could even move, Veronica moved behind her and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. Trixie then reached out and slapped the girl harshly across the face. Audrey let out a little yelp, but it was no big deal to her. It was really just the shock of it. Veronica laughed and let go of Audrey, giving her a shove as she did so.

"I look forward to gaining your worship, freshman." Trixie smiled sweetly before walking off, Veronica by her side.

Audrey placed her hand where she'd been slapped. It had hurt, but only for the moment. Trixie didn't hit that hard. That was probably why she had flunkies. But still, it had shocked her, and tears still ran down her face. She stared after the two beautiful girls who every girl, including her, hated, but wanted to be like. Even after they were gone, she didn't remove her hand from that very spot. In the back of her mind, she was pathetically trying to make the situation into something good. _On the plus side, even though she slapped me, I was touched by Trixie Tang. At least she cares what I think of her, which means she cares about me, in a way. Trixie Tang notices me!_

That's how it was with Trixie, Veronica, and the other girls at school. That's how it was: pathetic.

* * *

"So, tell me more about yourself, Tootie." Taylor said. The two of them were at her locker. She moved some books around, until she found the one that she'd have preferred to never find at all : Calculus. She pulled it out of her locker and began to stick it into her bookbag. "Well," she began. "I used to hate living in the same house as my older sister, Vicky." 

"Was she that bad?"

"Oh, she was a tyrant! She had red hair. She got it from my dad, but everyone preferred to think it was because she was the spawn of satan."

"So she _was_ that bad." he winced.

"She used to babysit. Every parent in Dimmsdale loved her. She would pretend to be so sweet, that it was sickening. Then, as soon as the parents left, she'd torture us! She'd make us do every chore she could think of. She'd break things so we'd get in trouble. And she worked us to the bone! And when the parents got home, they thought we were happy, because they were too stupid to see how unhappy we looked, and Vicky's sweet reassurances were the icing on the cake. She got paid a lot more than I've ever known a babysitter to be paid. She'd come home every night with a moneybag - literally!"

"Wow." Taylor slowly shook his head. "Wait. Do you mean Vicky? As in Icky Vicky? _She's_ the girl Chip Skylark was singing about?" his jaw dropped in disbelief. "And you had to _live_ with her? Wow! What happened to her? Please tell me that she's in prison with a big burly unibrowed woman who is "very nice" to her every day, and is doomed to live like that for the rest of her days as pennance."

"Pennance?" Tootie looked at him, "Taylor, Vicky's not Catholic.

"So we'll make her one!" he cried. Tootie couldn't help but laugh at the little display that he was putting on.

"Taylor. She's really not like that anymore."

"Oh?" Taylor raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Well, that changes everything. What happened to her?"

"Well, all of her clients grew up. And so did she. She apologized to everyone, and even worked hard to pay back all of the parents."

"Wow. From satan to saint, huh? So what's she up to now?" he leaned against a locker next to hers and crossed his arms, nodding as he listened.

"She graduated from college, and she now has a job. In fact, she's the owner of the building."

"As...?" Taylor proded.

"A social worker."

Taylor stared at Tootie, his mouth open. After a moment, he was able to speak again. "Oh, you're kidding me!" He quickly pushed himself up from the locker. "Vicky - Icky Vicky - your sister, the spawn of he who rules the wrath of Hell - is a social worker?"

Tootie closed her locker, slung the bookbag onto her back, and gave a calm smile. "Yep." She started to walk down the hallway to homeroom. Taylor chased after her. He jumped in front of her and walked backwards, meeting her pace. "You do know what a social worker is, don't you? It's a person who takes a child away from an abusive home, and finds them a safer one."

"Yes, I know. So?"

"_So_, she was abusive to your _parents_ for crying out loud! How is it that she's now protecting kids when she used to treat them worse than any abusive parent could ever dream to?"

"People change." she shrugged.

Taylor stopped, and Tootie crashed into him. He caught her by her wrists. She glanced up at him in surprise. He had some of the most tantalizing eyes she'd ever seen, besides Timmy's. They were a deep, dark green. They looked so mystical and unreal. They made his pupils stand out, and it seemed as if when he looked at her, he could see straight into her soul. Yet, at the same time, they were hypnotizing.

She blinked and shook her head. She could feel the warmth that had settled into her cheeks, and she pulled away. "Um..thanks for catching me."

"Yeah. No problem." he rubbed the back of his neck. It was then that she noticed that his cheeks were flushed bright pink. She could feel a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She never imagained she could make a guy blush like that.

"Oh, and you never did tell me how you got your nickname."

Tootie looked at him. Before she could say a word, he held up a finger, "I told you I'd hold you to it, didn't I? Now tell me."

"Well, when I was a little baby, whenever my parents fed me something that I didn't really like, I would...you know..."

"Toot-ie?..." Taylor attempted to take on a look of sympathy, but whatever success he had was dashed by his laughter.

"Taylor!" Tootie gasped, though she could't help smiling,"I thought you weren't going to laugh!"

"No, no. I said I was going to hold you to it. Remind you until you told me. I never said anything about not laughing when you did." he managed to say. Tootie sighed, but a chuckle rose in her own throat. She soon found herself laughing too.

He had this unexplainable way of being able to make her laugh, no matter what was going on. And it was only day 2. Unbelievable. Her laughing was stopped short, though, as soon as she saw Timmy. He was walking in the direction opposite them, since his homeroom was on the other side of the school.

The thing that pained Tootie was that he looked upset. He was walking with Chester, and A.J., who were talking. Normally, he would be talking too, but today, he was looking towards the floor, unaware of anything except where he was going.

"Hey, Timmy!" she called out.

* * *

Timmy looked up upon his name being called, and smiled when he saw Tootie. "Hey, Tootie." 

"What's wrong, Timmy?"

Timmy shook his head. "Nothing. I was just thinking about some old friends. I miss them."

"Can't you call them?"

"No. They're gone. They were called back to where they came from."

Tootie's face fell a little bit as she realized what he meant, or so she thought. "Oh, Timmy, I'm so sorry."

"It's ok. I'm fine now."

The bell rang.

"I'll see you at lunch."

She smiled, and nodded. Timmy continued walking towards his homeroom. She had no idea that he had been talking about his fairy god parents. And while it was true, they'd been called back to where they came from - Fairy World- he hadn't meant it in the sense that Tootie thought he meant. They didn't die. As a matter of fact, they were probably back on earth now, with some other little child, brightening their life as they did for him. Maybe one of the freshman wandering the hallways had them, and they were a notebook and pencil in somebody's arms, spotting him, and wishing they could call out to him to say hello again.

_Cosmo..Wanda..I miss you so much. I'll never forget you. I swear I won't._

_

* * *

_So, how'd you like it? Trixie and Veronica are starting to lose it, no? thanks to everyone who has reviewed already, and thanks in advance to anyone that does. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own, you don't sue. Did I mention that I don't own?

* * *

One hour later, it was lunchtime. Tootie and Taylor were sitting at the table by themselves. Timmy, Chester, and A.J. were probably on their way to the cafeteria, but first, they had to change their clothes. After all, they had gym right before lunch. Tootie decided to give Taylor a little quiz. 

"So," Tootie began, taking a bite of her sandwich. She swallowed it before continuing, "You now know all of this stuff about me. But what about you? Tell me some stuff about you."

"Well," he said slowly, "I'm from a big family. I have a lot of uncles, aunts, and cousins. But I'm an only child."

"So you were safe from evil older brothers, huh?"

"I think even the evilest of older brothers would be peanuts compared to your sister." he laughed. "Or, they would've been, except now your sister is nice. So, I guess an evil older brother would be kind of a big deal."

Tootie laughed. Taylor slowly chewed his own sandwich as he thought of other things to say. But Tootie asked another question.

"So, I hear that Crocker's your History teacher. How do you like him?"

"Yeah...uh, is he always that crazy?"

"I should think so. Ever since he escaped that institution --"

"Wha--he was in an institution? For what?"

"He was always out to get Timmy. Whenever Timmy succeeded or did something right, Crocker would always claim it was because he had fairy godparents. I personally think he just didn't like Timmy and wanted him to fail in life."

Taylor laughed, "Fairies? Geez. Now, what he does is just mumble about everything, twitch a lot, and talk about a giant green needle that gave him a shot in the backside and went, "Sweet dreams, Crocker." I mean, the man is crazy."

Tootie grinned, "If you got a penny for every time somebody else said that, you'd be a rich man. Super rich!" Tootie could've sworn that when she said that, Taylor went a little bit pale, and his smile faded a bit. But before she got a chance to say anything, Timmy, Chester, and A.J. all sat down at the table.

"Hey, guys. What's up?" A.J. went.

"Not much." Tootie said. She glanced back over at Taylor. He looked as if nothing had happened. Maybe she had imagined it. She looked at Timmy and her heart skipped a beat.

_There's something about a guy when he gets out of the shower..._ she couldn't help but think when she saw him. There was no doubt that he dried off when he got out of the shower in the locker room, but even still, his hair was damp and clung to his face, and his face, neck and arms were shimmering slightly, as if they were still just a bit damp. It reminded her of those models in cologne ads, covered in a light sheen of sweat. She smiled at him. "Hey, Turner."

"Hey, Williams." he gave an innocent smile. Tootie chuckled.

It didn't take long until all of the guys were deep in conversation over who they thought would win the upcoming football game between Arizona State and California State. Tootie took advantage of this time. She tuned them out and thought about Timmy. He was so nice and sweet, and smart. She was so glad that he was giving her a chance at friendship. It was working out rather well. She smiled.

Her thoughts were cut short by the sound of Taylor laughing. She smiled as she watched and returned to her thoughts. _Taylor has such a nice laugh. And he's really sweet. Wait a minute, why am I thinking of Taylor? It's supposed to be Timmy I like! I mean...do I--no! It can't be...I can't really like _both_ of them...can I?_

_

* * *

_

After what seemed like hours, the final bell of the day rang, and the students of Dimmsdale High School were free to go home. Chester had to stay after school for a detention. (who knew that asking the cafeteria ladies if the food came from a lab would get you in so much trouble?) A.J. had a science club meeting, and Timmy was going to basketball practice. So it was just her and Taylor. 

"So..." he said for the eighth time, as they rode down the street.

"So..." Tootie echoed.

The whole car ride had been full of awkward silence. Tootie kept thinking about how when she had mentioned wealth, Taylor had seemed a bit uncomfortable. _Maybe he lives in not-so-nice conditions, like Chester. That has to be it. Then how was his family able to afford moving all the way across the country? Th--_

"Oh, this is my street." Taylor said, cutting off her thoughts.

"Oh." Tootie said. She felt ridiculous. Even if Taylor lived in the worst - or best - of conditions, it wasn't her business. She was starting to remind herself of her busybody neighbor, Mrs. Dinkleburg. She used to always stick her large nose in Tootie's business, especially where Timmy was concerned. She noticed that whenever she used to stalk Timmy, or even try to talk to him, Mrs. Dinkleburg would find a way to watch, and raise a curious eyebrow. Tootie shuddered. She certainly didn't want to be like _her,_ so she pushed her thoughts of Taylor aside, and unlocked the car door.

"So, um...I'll see you tomorrow, Taylor..."

"Yeah, I'll see you. Thanks for the ride." he smiled. He kissed his finger and then touched her cheek. Tootie's eyes widened in surprise, and a blush crept onto her face for what seemed like the millionth time that day. She could feel a smile tugging at her lips.

Taylor blushed when he realized what he had done. He quickly snatched up his bag. "Uh...I'll see ya tomorrow, ok?" he said, and quickly leapt out of the car. Tootie watched him walk down the street. He was really cute. And sweet. And kind..._What's this?_ She picked up the small piece of paper that was in the seat where Taylor had been moments ago. She picked it up and read it.

142 Pinaland Drive

_It's probably Taylor's address. I mean, he's only been here for two days. He probably doesn't know his address yet._ She stuck it in her pocket, making a mental note to give it to him tommorrow. She really didn't want him to walk into someone elses house, thinking it was his own. All the houses in Dimmsdale had a little issue of looking very similar. All of a sudden, she had a thought that surprised her.

Actually, it was more of an idea that was hard to ignore. She really wanted to do it, but something told her it might not be the best idea. Before her unsensible side could tell her otherwise, she drove off. _This is for your own good, Tootie. You can't seriously try and attempt that. It's insane! And now, you can take a minute and think about it in a reasonable state. See how ridicuous of an idea it was?_

With these reassuring thoughts, she made it home. Just as she got out of the car, her cell phone rang. She answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Tootie. It's Taylor."

"Oh!" Tootie smiled in surprise, "Hi."

"Hi."

There was an awkward pause before either of them spoke again. Part of Tootie wanted to see what he wanted, but at the same time, her mind wandered back to Timmy. She wasn't sure who she liked more. But Taylore distracted her from that the next moment that he spoke.

"Well, I just called to say thanks for the ride. And I wanted to know if you wanted me to chip in for gas money. I mean, I _am_ mooching a car ride from you twice a day. So it'd only be fair, right?"

"It's ok, Taylor. Don't even worry about it. I mean, I have a job, so I can handle it. But that's so sweet of you!" it was all she could do not to giggle.

"Well, are you sure? I mean, it's really not a problem." he insisted. Tootie managed to sound normal as she spoke, "No, really. It's fine. Even though I'm sure that you're rich and all--"

"What?" Taylor suddenly cut in. Tootie's smile faded. Why did he sound like that? "I was joking. Remember, from earlier? When I said that if you got paid every time someone said Crocker was crazy, you'd be rich?"

"Oh." Taylor said.

"Are you ok?" Tootie raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Taylor said quickly."Um, well, that's all I called for. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok..." Tootie said, " Bye."

"Bye."

Tootie closed her phone, confused. What the heck had that been about? She shook her head and sighed. Once again, her idea came to mind. A part of her was telling her that it would be wrong, and to respect Taylor's privacy. But another part of her had a strangely persuasive way of telling her that she needed to do it. With another heavy sigh, she mumbled to herself, "I just _know_ I'll hate myself for this in the morning."

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tootie turned of the brights on her car as she approached the street. There were only a few streetlights, and the darkness gave Tootie a chill. Never in her life had she been out this late, with the exception of new years day with her family. And even then, she'd gotten home relatively early. But tonight, she was up long enough to see what the car clock looked like when it flashed 1:32 A.M. Finally, she found the street she was looking for. Pinaland Drive. She didn't pull onto that street, however; she stopped the car and got out, preparing to walk down the other road. She knew she had a long walk ahead of her when she saw the address on the first house: 243 Pinaland. _Great. He lives on the other end of the stret._

After a few minutes of walking, what had seemed like an easy deal was turning into a treacherous task. The street was starting on an upward slope. _And Taylor would rather walk up this hill every day than be driven?_ She shook the thought and focused on her surroundings. She noticed that each house she passed seemed to be a bit bigger than the last. The houses akready looked..._Like mansions..._Tootie gasped as she remembered how he reacted whenever she talked about wealth: as if he was trying to hide something. She started running up the street, and finally, came to an abrupt stop. She'd found 142 Pinaland.

Before her stood a large mansion.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue.

* * *

The next afternoon, Tootie tried to come up with reasons for why Taylor wouldn't want anyone to know he was rich. The logical one was that he didn't want people befriending him just because he had money. Bt she had a gut feeling that there was more to it. But she couldn't figure out what. She needed help. Immediately, she knew who to talk to. She quickly got in her car and drove up to the school. After wrecklessly pulling into a parking space, she jumped out of the car and ran into the school. She burst into the gym, where a bunch of boys were playing basketball. Among them was Timmy. She quickly ran up to him. 

"Oh, hey, Too-"

"I have to talk to you NOW." she grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the gym. All of the other boys started whistling and cheering at what they thought was going on.

When they got out of the gym, Tootie heaved a sigh of relief. The other boys were annoying her.

"Tootie, what's going on? Is something wrong?" his eyes were filled with such concern that the warmth that filled her made her forget why she'd come for a moment.

"Kind of. I need to talk to you about Taylor."

* * *

Ten minutes later, they were walking around the school, and Tootie had filled him in on what she'd discovered. 

"Wait, wait, wait. "Timmy shook his head,"So you snuck into Taylor's neighborhood, at 1 in the morning, just to see why he was uncomfortable with you talking about wealth. And it turns out the dude is loaded?" he started to laugh.

Tootie crossed her arms. "It's not funny."

"I know. I'm just laughing about you sneaking out at one in the morning..."

"TIMMY!"

"Sorry." he cleared his throat. Tootie couldn't help but notice how cute he looked when he was blushing. The slight shades of pink made her think of the pink shirt and hat he wore when he was little. "Real men wear pink" was the phrase that came to mind. She couldn't help but smirk. Too bad that phrase hadn't been around when he was younger. Maybe then he wouldn't have been messed with so much.

"So, what now?" Timmy asked. "I mean, Taylor's rich. So? What do you plan on doing?"

"I don't know. I just want to know why he was hiding it."

"Maybe because he doesn't want people to like him just for his money." Timmy pointed out.

"That's what I think. But, I mean, that can't be all. We are his friends. He can trust us."

"He's only known us for three days, Toots."

Tootie paused. "What did you call me?"

Timmy blushed again, "Uh...Tootie?" Tootie shook her head. "You called me Toots." He was using her childhood nickname as a pet name for her! (As a child, people called her Tootie, but also Toots.) She couldn't believe it! She felt an old habit begging to come back. A wicked grin slowly spread across her face. Timmy noticed, and his smile faded slightly.

"Um...Tootie? Why are you looking at me like that? What's wrong?"

"Oh...nothing." Tootie said, an innocently mischievious tone in her voice. "I was just thinking, that since you're bringing back a childhood memory, I will too."

"Uh..To-Tootie...uh-oh." He turned and began to run, but Tootie chased after him. With a leap, she jumped on his back, sending them both to the floor. Timmy laughed as Tootie raised her voice to sound like she did when she was little, "Oh, Timmy! I always knew you loved me! I just knew it!" She pretended to cover him in kisses. Timmy raised his voice to sound like he did when he was a kid. "Ahhhh! Noooooooo!! HELP!" They both started laughing hysterically. After their laughter died down, Tootie got off of him and helped him up.

"Funny. As a kid, I hated that, and now I wish girls would spontaneously jump on me more often." Timmy chuckled. Tootie laughed again.

"Well, if you ever need a trip down memory lane, give me a call." They both started to walk back to the gymnasium, and Timmy brought back the original subject. "So, what are you going to say to Taylor about him being rich?"

"Nothing. Neither of us can say anything." Tootie said as they rounded the corner and walked back into the gym.

But their conversation hadn't gone unheard. Trixie and Veronica had cheerleading practice that day. They'd gone to get some water, and when they heard Timmy and Tootie, they hid behind the lockers.They had heard every word.

"So..." Veronica grinned, "That Taylor guy is rich, huh?"

"I have to get him to date me. We'd so make the perfect couple." Trixie grinned. Veronica sighed. She had always found Taylor to be attractive, but Trixie liked him now. And what Trixie wants, Trixie gets. She walked over to the fountain and filled up the two diamond studded water bottles. She forced a smile.

"You and Taylor would make the perfect couple. The cheerleading captain and the hottie."

"I know. Normally I wouldn't date anyone prettier than me, and I'd say that you could have him. But I have no problem with Taylor." Trixie flipped her long hair, and hiked up her cheerleading skirt a bit more. "Basketball practice is going to let out soon. I want them all to drool over me." she explained as she lifted her midriff top slightly. Veronica, who was always expected to follow suit, started to do the same.

"No, don't." Trixie placed a hand on Veronica's to stop her. "You don't need to do it. You're fat."

Veronica's eyes widened in horror. What? "I-I'm fat?"

"Well, no. But I mean, those blueberry breakfast muffins aren't making your stomach any smaller. And I know that guys like girls with a little butt, but come on." She waved her hand at Veronicas posterior. Then, as if she hadn't insulted her best friend, she smiled, "Well, I'm going back to the practice area. We have to get started again.." Just as she touched the door to go outside, she turned and glanced at Veronica again. "Oh, I almost forgot. For the 'Raising Hell' routine, I've decided that I'll be the top of the pyramid."

"What?" Veronica ran to Trixie and grasped her arm, successfully blinking back a tear, "But you're on top of the pyramid in every routine! And you promised me I could be on top for 'Raising Hell'. You _promised!_"

Trixie lifted Veronica's hand off of her arm with her thumb and index finger, as if she would a dirty rag, and let it drop. "Well, you'll be right under me. So you'll be almost on top. Besides, we don't want a fat person on top, do we? That wouldn't be hot at all." And with a friendly smile, she walked outside, leaving a stunned Veronica in her wake.

She looked down at herself, and ran a hand over her flat stomach, and small rear, now convinced that they were much larger than they actually were. Because whatever Trixie says goes. She shook her head, a new anger rising in her.

"It's not fair! Why does _she_ always get her way? She doesn't deserve it! She doesn't deserve Taylor! She deserves nothing!" she whispered harshly. And suddenly, she had an idea. But she knew she couldn't do it. Despite how hurtful the girl was, she was her best friend, and she didn't want to be a target of the raven haired girl's harrassment. So with a sigh, she accepted her fate, her destiny as a flunky to the perfect human being, and walked back outside to cheerleading practice.


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters or the--eh, I'm gettin' tired of typing this. You get the idea: I Don't Own it. DEAL WITH IT!lol

Oh, and I forgot to point out that the current month of this story is March. A few days before Tootie's birthday. That's very important, so don't forget it. : )

* * *

Veronica sighed as she balanced herself carefully on her hands and knees, atop the back of her fellow cheerleaders. On top of her, Trixie's right foot was planted firmly on her back. Trixie's voice rang through the air as she yelled, "Go, Dimmsdale!!!" in a spirited voice only found in a cheerleader, a spoiled girl, or in this case, both. 

After an emotionally hurtful rehearsal of "Raising Hell" three times, the practice was done for the day. And right on schedule, the boys basketball team was walking out of the school.

"Hi, guys," Trixie said in a flirty voice. Naturally, they all got one glance of her, covered in a light sheen of sweat, and her uniform altered to seem a bit more promiscuous, and fell over themselves -- and each other-- to be the first to return the greeting. Veronica rolled her eyes as one of the boys pushed his teammate off of him and ran over to her. He took her hand. "You know," he said, "Prom is coming up in a couple of months. We should go together." the hopefulness in his eyes was sickening to Veronica, and she plopped down in the grass, watching enviously from the corner of her eye.

"Mmm...nah." Trixie said, as if turning down recieving a new blouse (yeah, right). She didn't seem to notice his smile fade. She touched his cheek. "But your blindness to the fact that it'll never happen is very cute." And instantly, his smile was back. He seemed to float on air as he walked away, a hand on his face.

_Unbelievable,_Veronica felt her hand tighten around her water bottle, _She's like God!_ she knew that her parents would chastise her for making a reference to God in such a way, but it was the only way to describe Trixie's power. And that was what made everyone hate her, but love her at the exact same time. Because she had power. And power was a very strong thing. It had a beauty all it's own, yet an aspect of such horror, such macabre, that it could make a person recoil in fear. And all of it was in Trixie's hands.

But one thing had been true: Prom was coming up. She had always dreamed of being prom queen. Maybe Trixie would be kind enough to nominate her. She highly doubted it. Just as she opened her mouth, Stacy, a fellow cheerleader destroyed what was left of Veronica's heart, "Trixie, I'm _so_ going to vote for you for Prom Queen." All the other girls chattered in agreement, nodding furiously, and covering her in a sheet of smiles. Veronica shook her head in anger, stood up, and stormed to her car to go home and cry over the death of her hope. The last soldier in her army of dreams had fallen; the troops of Trixie's perfection had finally won the war.

Her hand tightened around the steering wheel, her face red with fury. "Trixie's running for prom queen now. Well, too bad. This is my lifelong dream. I'm running too. And if I lose, then so be it. At least I tried." she heaved a sigh, "I only hope she won't be mad at me." And she felt like a cowering rat for that last statement, but even if she was angry, she couldn't deny that she loved her best friend, her sister for life. But still...

* * *

_One week later..._

"Happy Birthday, Tootie!" Tootie blinked in surprise when she walked into Timmy's house. He'd told her to come at four, and here she was, facing Timmy, Taylor, Chester, A.J., and Sanjay. They all held gifts, and a cake was on the coffee table. She smiled. "Oh, thank you, you guys! I could just hug you all!"

"Woah, no need to go there..."

"No! Nononono... That's ok."

"Uh, I'll pass."

The boys all started protesting at the same time. Hugs were still to girly for them. Tootie snickered. She always knew just how to make them squirm. _I'll have to use that against them one day. April fools will work perfectly._

"Open your gifts!" Sanjay grabbed her by the shoulders and sat her down on the couch, placing a green box with gold ribbon on her lap. She smiled at him and started to tug at the ribbon. The guys groaned.

"Oh, just open it already!" Chester rolled his eyes with a laugh.

"Why do chicks have to be so delicate? It's only paper, man. Tear it up!" Taylor teased. Tootie laughed, and did just that, gaining cheers and laughter in effect. Inside the box was a dark blue sari with a baby blue sash. Tootie gasped in delight. "Sanjay, it's beautiful! Thank you so much!"

"I went to India with my mom to visit my grandmother. We all went to the market place, and my mother saw this dress. We thought you'd like it, and my mother told me I could get it for you as a souvenier." he smiled. "Takes a girl to know a girl." he joked. Tootie laughed. She placed the dress back in the box.

Chester gave her a gift bag. Inside it was a basket set of Cherry Blossom shower gel, lotion and body spray. "Thanks, Chester! This is my favorite scent! I love this!" She smiled at him, and he hugged her. "Hey, you're one of my best friends now. Besides, I owe it to you. When I was little, you never gave me the hives like other girls did." he shuddered as he remembered Trixie hugging him, and they al laughed. Tootie looked around.

Where was Taylor? A.J. put a box in her hands. She opened it, to find a telescope. A.J. beamed. I made it myself.

"Wow, A.J. How did you manage to make this?"

"Well, it was fairly simple. As long as you align the cuts in the equi--"

"On second thought, let's just preserve the moment. Thanks, A.J." she gave him a warm smile.

Taylor ran out of the kitchen holding a blue box. "Open mine! Openmineopenmineopenmineopenmineopenmine!" he yelled like a little kid as he made a tremendous leap, landing next to Tootie on the couch. She laughed. "Ok, I guess I'll open Taylor's next." She lifted the lid, and pulled out ---"Ice cream! Thanks!" she smiled. It was the thought that counted, and who didn't love ice cream?

"Well, I don't know too much about you, but y'know, I just figured...well...read the flavor."

Tootie lifted the container and chuckled. " 'Tootie Fruity'. " Taylor beamed. "It's nutritious, _and_ it has your name on it!"

They all laughed. "Thanks, Taylor! We can eat it with the cake." Lastly, Timmy handed her his present. She opened it and smiled. Inside was two dolls. One was a Crimson Chin, and the other was a doll wearing a dark blue swimsuit, and had glasses and black hair in pigtails. They were glued to a cardboard platform, painted white with fake flowers around it. Tootie smiled. There was no doubt that she and Timmy were the only ones who understood the sentimental value of the gift. Everyone else could tell that this was something they hadn't been let in on.

"I don't get it. Is this an inside joke?" A.J. asked.

"Yeah, fill us in!" Chester proded.

Tootie smiled. When I was little, I had a doll like this, and Timmy gave me his indestructable Chin doll. I put them on top of a fake wedding cake and went to the treehouse to show him."

"Oh, yeah, I remember!" Chester grinned, "And then you went, 'Oh, Timmmmy! I have something for you, too!' and walloppd him with a water balloon. That was great! Especially since that was your revenge, Tootie."

"I wish I coulda seen that!" Taylor laughed, "Timmy was so mean to her then."

Tootie stopped laughing. What? She got up, and grabbed Taylor's wrist. "Uh, can you guys excuse us, please?" Before anyone could answer, she dragged the very confused Taylor into the kitchen.

"What? What'd I do?" Taylor gave a confused grin. Tootie made a face as she asked, "How'd you know that?"

"Because I'm secretly a psychic with mind reading powers." he grinned, "No, seriously, though. How did I know what?"

"How'd you know that Timmy was mean to me when we were little?"

"What?" Taylor said. But playing dumb wasn't going to work with a girl in all honors classes. She crossed her arms and scrutinized him as she spoke. "You said that you wished you could've seen me hit Timmy with that water balloon because he was mean to me then. How'd you know he was mean to me back then if you just moved here a couple weeks ago?"

Taylor blinked. "It's simple: Chester said that it was your revenge on him. And people only want revenge when someone does something mean to them. So, it wasn't hard to figure out he was mean to you." Tootie was silent as she took this in. This made perfect sense. She sighed.

"Ok. I believe you. I'm sorry. "

"No problem." he smiled and gave her a hug, sending shivers up her spine."Now, if you don't mind, I think it's cake time. And I really want some Tootie." he gave her a smile before he turned to leave.

"I'm right here." she smirked.

"What?" he said, confused again. Tootie smiled. He was adorable when he ran his hand through his blonde hair.

"You said you wanted some Tootie. I'm right here." she chuckled.

"Tootie _Fruity_!" He said quickly, his cheeks flushing red, "I - I meant Tootie Fruity. The ice cream." He continued to attempt to make an excuse, and Tootie crossed her arms and gave a satisfied smirk. Finally, he stopped his stammering and simply said, "I'm going to go get some cake." before leaving the kitchen. Tootie laughed and followed him back into the other room, where the guys had turned on the t.v. to watch football. Tootie rolled her eyes and just gave them some cake before sitting down to join them. She was never into the singing ordeal anyway. She looked at the boy next to her, Timmy, and smiled. He glanced at her and mouthed, "Happy Birthday".

Tootie smiled back and gave him a hug. He looked at her, "You didn't make a wish, y'know."

"I know." she shrugged, "But it doesn't matter. It it's meant to come true, then it will, whether I wish it or not."

He grinned, "Then can you tell me what it is?"

"No." Tootie smiled. _My wish is that you'll love me one day, the way I love you._


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own, ok?

Hope you guys are enjoying it so far: )

* * *

_The next day, at school..._

Taylor quietly walked through the hallways to the cafeteria. He would've walked with Tootie, but he had to stay behind in Chemistry to finish his test. It was safe to say he'd be in need of therapy if he ever say a periodic table after the year was over. He stopped at his locker, undoing the code with the mastery of someone who'd been around defective lockers his whole life. After grabbing a bag with his gym clothes, for his next class after lunch, he closed his locker. A girl with black hair, and purple tank top and white mini-skirt was waiting for him. He jumped in surprise. She simply smiled, and blinked her brown eyes at him in a flirty manner, "Hi."

"Uh...hi." he blinked in surprise again.

"So...Taylor, right?" she batted her thick eyelashes at him, revealing the light purple eyeshadow on her eyelids.

"Yeah. And you are...?"

She placed a hand on his chest and laughed as if he'd just told her that pigs were flying in front of her face. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought I'd forgotten something. I'm Trixie."

_Trixie?_ he thought, This_ is Trixie? Wow. She's certainly a lot different from what I thought she'd be like._

"And you must be Taylor?"

He raised an eyebrow, not sure whether to be confused, stunned, happy and flirty, or freaked out. "Yeah, that's what everyone says my parents named me."

Trixie laughed again. "Oh, you're funny! I like guys with a sense of humor." Taylor couldn't help but grin. She continued, "And what was it you said about me being different?"

"Huh?"

"You said that I'm a lot different from what you thought I'd be like. What did you mean, Taylor?" She gave a flirty smile. Taylor, on the other hand, wasn't smiling, but wincing. _Crap! I said that out loud? Oh sh--_

"Anyway," Trixie cut in. "The point is that I like you, Taylor."

"But you've only known me for--" he started to say, but cut himself off when she raised an eyebrow with a bit of impatience.

"I see potential in you." Trixie tapped her chin as she studied him, "You remind me of someone. And clearly, I only know cool people. So if you remind me of a cool person, then clearly, you must be cool too." she paused, "You _are_ cool..aren't you? I mean, at your other school--"

"I was plenty cool." Taylor said quickly, his mind on the chicken sandwich in his bag that he couldn't wait to eat. Trixie didn't seem to mind being cut off this time. In fact, she was smiling, pleased with his answer. "I thought so. I mean, once a popular, always a popular. Isn't that right, _Taylor_?" she but a flirty emphasis on his name and gave a seducing smile, but the flirtation didn't reach her eyes, which held another emotion.

"Yeah, right. Exactly." Taylor said. He pointed down the hall, towards the cafeteria, where he could hear the sound of the 6th period lunch students talking, and eating. "I'm going to go to lunch. See you later." he took a few steps towards the cafeteria, but Trixie put a hand on his arm, stopping him.

"Not so fast. Why are you in such a hurry?" she ran a finger in circles on his shoulder. _Because I'm hungry!_ he thought, but refrained from saying anything. She leaned in towards him, and for a moment, Taylor thought she was going to kiss him. But instead, she leaned over slightly, and whispered into his ear, her warm breath tickling his earlobe. "Listen, I think we should go to Prom together. I was nominated for Prom Queen. So it should be fun. Please tell me you'll say yes."

"Um...I'll think about it and let you know later." he said. There was a flash of disappointment in her eyes, and Taylor felt a bit guilty. "I just-- um--it's just that I want to feel happy when I tell you my desicion. And I can't feel happy on an empty stomach."

Trixie seemed to buy this, and smiled. "Ok. Then go eat." And without another word, she hurried down the hall, towards the chemistry lab. Taylor shook his head and struggled to keep his pace at a brisk walk rather than a mad sprint as he entered the cafeteria.

* * *

"You asked him to prom?" Veronica took a bite out of her sandwich, staring at Trixie in disbelief. She forced a smile of delight for her best friend, but it didn't reach her eyes. Had Trixie been a bit less self centered, she would've noticed. Trixie nodded in excitement. "Yeah. And I know he'll say yes. I mean, who doesn't say yes to me? Nobody, that's who. And I would never ask out a nobody, so I don't even have to worry about it. Now, normally, I won't ask out a guy who's better looking than me, but he's an exception. Actually, I think we'll complement each other. Who would be a better prom king than him? I actually..." 

Veronica couldn't help but stop listening for a number of reasons. The first being that as she looked across the cafeteria at Taylor, she felt jealous, sad, and confused. The second, and most major, being that Trixie thought she was a shoo in for prom queen. But just that morning, She annonymously nominated herself. As a matter of fact, the entire cafeteria was abuzz with discussions of prom. Any minute now the Principal would come in with her megaphone, and read the names of the students who were in the running. And this made Veronica nervous.

The third reason was that she didn't know where she stood with Trixie anymore. She had always been best friends with Trixie, closer than sisters. But as they got older, Veronica developed more common sense. And common sense told her that she was in a one-sided relationship. She did all the dirty work, and Trixie got all the glory. She couldn't even remember Veronica's name sometimes, attempting to cover it up by pretending to call her "best friend" or "sister dear". She even insulter Veronica, pretending that she was only joking, or worse, not even realizing that it was hurtful. The more Veronica thought about it, she realized that after nearly 18 years, Trixie didn't know her at all. Veronica had let it all slide, as if she hadn't noticed the forgotten birthdays, neglection, and so forth.

Because "commmon sense" also told her that no matter what Trixie did, she was popular. And if you associated with a popular person, that made you popular too. And she certainly didn't want to be unpopular. Especially with the evil wrath that she was letting loose lately. She felt torn, not knowing whether to love her like a sister despite her flaws, seen only by her, or to hate her with the passion that seemed to be burning stronger every day. And to be honest, the hate was outshining the love so brightly that she wasn't sure she even held love for her "sister" anymore, and when she remembered how she used to want to be the raven haired witch, she felt ashamed. Trixie had taken away from her so many times, and she deeply lamented her for it...

"Attention, students!" Principal Manning, a tall woman who always wore her gray hair in a tight bun and her mouth in a tight line, stood with a megaphone. Everyone was surprised to see that the prim and proper woman was actually smiling. "I know you've been waiting for this. And frankly, I couldn't wait to tell you. I'm sure you all know what this is about, so I'll just get to it. The nominees for Prom Queen are..."

Veronica shut her eyes. If her name was called, it'd be a bittersweet moment. She'd get to pursue her dream of being prom queen. And she looked forward to Trixie ending their friendship. But at the same time, she didn't.

"Trixie Tang!"

The entire cafeteria burst into applause.

"And Veronica Langston!"

She couldn't hear anything anymore. She felt sick. Her stomach was fluttering from happiness, but more from fear. The dark look that had crossed Trixie's face had flashed across so fast that she could've imagined it. But something told her that she hadn't. But in an instant, Trixie was laughing. But Veronica couldn't hear it, despite the fact that she was sitting next to the girl. She felt like she'd been submerged in water. All she could hear was the rushing sound filling her ears. This was how she always felt before she had to --

Veronica clapped a hand over her mouth and her stomach flipped. She leaped out of her seat, tripping on it. Her knees had barely touched the floor before she started scrambling to her feet, running out of the cafeteria, and into the bathroom. Her face felt hot, and she felt as if she was about to start sweating. She ran into the closest stall, not even bothering to close the door, and she vomited, tears streaming down her face. After a moment, she wiped her mouth, sobs now coming out rather than her lunch. She flushed the toilet. Normally, she'd go straight to the nurse. Common sense told her that if she was sick, lying down and resting would help. But something told her that she'd been letting her common sense escape her, lately. So instead, she sat on the floor, leaning against the toilet, crying, without even knowing why.


	8. Chapter 8

Wow, it's taken me forever to update. Sorry about that! All I can do is apologize. So once again, sorry..(bows head in shame and pouts.) Ugh, why must we have so much homework? I mean, all the teachers are like, "OGT's this...OGT's that...you'll need to know this for the OGT's...blah blah BLAH!" ARGHH (For those of you who don't know what OGT's are, they're Ohio Graduation Test. You have to take them in tenth grade, and if you don't pass all five parts, you don't get to graduate high school when you're a senior, even if you had a 4.0 all four years. Sucks for whoever fails. But, you get to retake whatever part you failed until you pass it. But still, the teachers annoy me! Grr!!!)

Yeah, I know I was mean to Veronica, what with making her get sick and all. But I was doing that to put emphasis on the hold that Trixie has on her, and all of the pressure she's feeling to force herself to stay in the shadows when what she really wants to do is show the world what she can do. Anyway, (raises sword gallantly) To the story! ONWARD! (sword is so heavy that it makes me fall over, and the sword lodges itself in the ground.) Uh...(laughs nervously, trying to pull up sword), Uh..go on without me, guys. I'll catch up in a minute.

lol, sorry, couldn't resist. But thanks for the reviews, and for the patience! It's greatly appreciated.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own, you don't sue. Deal? Let's shake on it. No, you shake with your HANDS! Good job.

* * *

"I can't believe it. Trixie and Veronica...against each other for Prom Queen!" Timmy shook his head as he rode in the passenger sieat of the car. Tootie had dropped everyone else off, and Tootie was heading towards their own homes. 

"I know," Tootie said, "This isn't going to turn out nicely. I mean, just think about it. Veronica versus _Trixie_? Why not just place a person next to a serial killer, I'm sure they'd turn out better than Veronica will."

"What makes you think that?" Timmy ran a hand through his brown hair as Tootie tried not to give him a "don't-you-know-anything" look.

"Because," Tootie stated, "Veronica may be popular like Trixie, but when it comes down to it, Trixie always gets what she wants. No matter what. And Veronica...well, she's not emotionally stable. All Trixie has to do is pull one dirty trick -- a few seemfully innocent but truly hurtful words here, a little teasing there -- and Veronica will be done for. Trixie controls everyone, including her. Whether she likes it or not."

Timmy shivered at the insightful words. He didn't know what was more scary: that Tootie had actually figured this out, or that it was true.

"Well, let them work it out. They're thicker than steel. Sisters for life. You see them every day. Whatever happens, it won't do damage to their friendship for long." he smiled, "But I don't want to think about that. Let's talk about happier things. Like the prom itself."

"What about it?" Tootie said, pulling into her driveway. (Timmy insisted on walking home from her house, since he lived only a few houses down.)

"Well," he tried to come up with a creative way to ask as quickly as possible. Nothing. "Well, do you have a date?"

"I might." Tootie said, climbing out of the car. Timmy followed suit, but his mood was now down. M aybe? That meant yes! He tried keep the hurt expression off of his face. "Oh." he said, trying to appear to be happy for her, "And who's the lucky guy?"

"Wait a minute." she smirked at him, "I said I _might_. But I might not. But suppose I don't. What are you gonna do about it?"

He looked at her, following her onto her porch. "Well, I'd ask you to be my date." There was no doubt that the huge thing sprawling across her face was a smile. He made an effort to keep a serious face as he stared at her.

"Well, you're in luck." Tootie grinned slyly, "Because I don't have a date."

"Well, now you do." he couldn't resist the strong temptation to give his own smug smile. Just because it was a serious moment didn't mean he could let himself be one-upped in the smugness factor. As usual, Tootie took up the challenge.

Tootie gave him a long hard stare. "Alright. I'll go to prom with you."

Timmy lost the smug look and flat out grinned. "YES--I - I mean, yeah, that's cool." He flushed. What was with the sudden outburst? It was embarrassing. But he couldn't help it. She was so pretty when she was thinking things over. And during every other second of the day.

Tootie leaned in towards him, and he felt surprised, but excited. She leaned in towards his ear and whispered, "But it's going to cost you." She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned in so close that her lips nearly grazed his, but didn't. He was very tempted to give her a kiss, but was frozen in surprise, unable to do nothing but stand there, his stomach turned in slow circles.

_Just kiss me already!_ he nearly said, but one swift movement, she had backed away, and opened her front door. The next thing he knew, she was about to shut it. "W-wait!" With an evil grin, Tootie triumphantly beamed. "I told you that going to the prom with me would come with a price. You led me on all those years, so I decided to lead you on for a minute. A dose of your own medicine. Of course, I don't know if it worked, but oh well. Now when we go to prom, we'll be even. Bye, Timmy!"

"B-b-b-but, wait! Tootie--"

"Bye, Timmy." Tootie said, her tone matching her smug smile. She shut the door.

Timmy stood there, dumbfounded. Tootie was getting better at being smug every day. She was a natural, he couldn't help but think. No, he thought, a mastermind. An _evil_ mastermind. An evil mastermind who accused of leading her on...

"Tootie!" he hit the door, "Tootie, open up! What do you mean I led you on? I seriously have no idea! I'm so confused! Tooti--open the door. Open the door--Tootie, can you hear me? Hello- hey--hey! Come on...this isn't funny!"

But Tootie thought differently. She was sprawled on the sofa, laughing outrageously as she listened to him through the door. _If I knew that tempting him with kisses would actually work, I would've pulled that one _years _ago!

* * *

_

Taylor walked through the mpty halls of the school. Everyone had gone home. He had stayed after for a drama club meeting. It had let out ten minutes ago. Now, he pushed open a door that led to the gym, where the girls were currently having a cheerleading practice.

"...with Dimmsdale, Cos we are raising hell! Yeah!"

The girls all cheered as they each slowly descended from the pyramid formation. Trixie, he noticed, had been on top. He deduced that she was the captain. He sat down, ready to wait until the end of the rehearsal, but Trixie, who had taken a swig from her water bottle, had spotted him, smiled, and declared that they could take a five minute break. She walked over to him and sat down so close to him that there was hardly any space between them, something that he was very aware of. Subtly, he attempted to move over a bit, to gain at least an inch of space. She hadn't noticed; she was flipping her hair at him in her usual flirty manner. "So," she said, "have you thought it over?"

"Yeah." Taylor said.

"Is that 'yeah' as in 'yeah, I've thought it over', or 'Yeah, I'd like to go to prom with you'?"

Taylor exhaled, pushing every ounce of air from his mouth. "Both." That was all she needed. She smiled, her white teeth shining.

"So, why did you want to ask me to prom? I mean, you don't even know me." Taylor pointed out.

"I knew your name, didn't I? So obviously I know you. Besides, I'm Trixie Tang. I know you better than you think." Slightly taken aback, Taylor only blinked at her. "And I'm asking you to prom because I want to. What's wrong with going after what you want?"

After a moment of staring at her in surprise, he realized that she was waiting for an answer. "Oh! Um, nothing, I guess--"

"Great." she shrugged as if to dismiss the whole thing altogether. "Anyway, my dress is going to be baby blue, so I want a white corsage. Not off-white, but pure white. And a white-diamond necklace would be nice." she stated as she got up to walk away to assemble the girls.

"Wait!" he called after her, and she turned around to face him, the smile still in place. "The corsage, fine. Understandable. But a bracelet? White gold? Real gold? I can't afford that!"

"Sure you can." she smiled at him and once again, that glint of some mysterious emotion shone in her eyes before she turned back. She swayed her hips a little more than usual, her raven hair moving in syncronization. For the second time that week, she had left him confused. And he --as he always did when he was confused -- grinned as he stood up to leave the school and walk home. Maybe she _did_ know him better than he thought.

* * *

That very same afternoon, Veronica stood in Trixie's room. She had gone home with her best friend, and they had a spa afternoon. They had relaxed in the hot tub, and then in the sauna, all the while talking about boys, and the latest gossip. Veronica couldn't recall the last time she had spent time with her "sister" without being insulted. But it didn't matter. Even when Trixie insulted her, she never meant it. "I don't say it to hurt you. I say it to help you. I could never hurt you! You're like my sister." she would say. 

Today was the first time in a long time where they had been able to hang out without Veronica having to hear those words, because Trixie had only said mean things about other people. And now, she stood in Trixie's large room in her bikini, examining herself in the full length mirror. She now felt positive that Trixie would never say anything hurtful to her again. "Hey, Trix?"

"Hmm?" Trixie said from her lounge chair in front of a large tanning light.

"Is my butt really that big?"

Trixie lowered her Versace sunglasses and glanced at the blonde. "Well...yeah." Veronica blanched and whipped her head in Trixie's direction.

"W-what?"

"Don't take it personally. It's just that--you know... a few short sessions on the treadmill will sort it all out. Don't even worry about it."

But how could she not worry? She turned back to look at herself in the mirror. She placed her hands on her tiny rear, unable to see that there wasn't anything wrong with her. All she could see was her "enormous" posterior.

"Hey, you know what worked for me?" Trixie said. "I just stopped eating for about a week and a half. It worked. I lost the last of my baby fat that way."

"What?" Veronica broke her gaze with the mirror and stared at Trixie in alarm. "WHAT? You starved yourself? B-But that's dangerous, Trix!"

"Ok, first off, I didn't starve myself. I was fasting. And secondly, it's not dangerous. That's just a lie that the health teacher tells us so we won't become skinnier. I mean, take one look at her, and it's obvious that the old lady is jealous. She's as big as a house!" Veronica couldn't exactly disagree with the last statement. But still, it sounded like risky business to her.

"And come on, it was obvious that she was lying." Trixie continued, "Look at me! I lost a bit of flab, but I'm not all skin and bones. I'm not a skeleton like all those girls she showed us in that document. I still have meat on my bones."

Trixie's words were slowly lowering the red flags raising in Veronica's head like an operator shutting off a security system. She was right. And as long as she knew when to eat, it'd be fine. Trixie would be there to help her.

"But don't do it if you don't want to." Trixie said, finally rising, and turning off the tanning light. She slipped a robe on and beckoned for Veronica to do the same. She pushed a little button on the wall before turning on the large screen t.v. The movie "13 going on 30" came on. "The butler will be up with out dinner in a minute." Trixie said before settling onto a chintz lounge chair. Veronica did the same, trying hard to focus on the movie. But all she could think about was how "large" her bottom was. And when she finally was able to focus on the movie, all she could think about was how small the girl's butt was. _Why can't I look like that?_ she thought, not realizing that she did.

The butler came up with a rolling tray. He set up a dining table for each of them, and gave them each a plateful of Chef salad with creamy italian dressing, and glasses of wine before leaving them to their movie. Trixie dug into her salad, but all Veronica could do was stare at hers anxiously. She looked from her salad to Trixie and back again and again. Finally, she spoke. "Trixie?"

"Yeah?"

Veronica turned the wine glass in circles on the tray, watching the wine rise, fall, and ripple. The light from the t.v. was shining through the glass, and making the rich red liquid seem richer in color. It was a bright, vibrant red. Like fresh blood. She had a feeling a lot of blood would be rushing to her head over the next week. "If...if I decide to...'fast'...will you help me?"

Trixie put down her fork and for the first time in a while, stared her straight in the eye. "I'll remind you constantly, and I'll smack any food you pick up to the floor, ok? Just remember to drink a lot of water. But I'll help you out."

"Ok." Veronica smiled. She pushed her salad aside, feeling thrilled. She was excited because after this was over, Trixie would have nothing to criticize her over. And she was excited because Trixie was promising to help.

Trixie smiled at her and raised her fork. "Let the fasting begin." Veronica smiled back. A small part of her was wondering why she was even trying to act as if everythin was alright between her and Trixie. But something had convinced her that the fault lay in her own self. She was determined to fix it, though a part of her just wanted to let it rot. With a smile, she picked up her glass of wine and downed it all in one gulp, letting herself forget about the huge sacrifice she was going to make, about how the sacrifice wasn't for her, but for Trixie's approval...


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you to all my readers, and their patience, and the reviews. I really appreciate it! Much love.

DICLAIMER: Roses are red, voilets are blue, I don't own, so you can't sue! HA! Whatcha gon' do, gov? lol Sorry, once again, I couldn't help it.

* * *

Tootie decided to spend her Saturday going shopping for a prom dress in the mall. So far, her efforts had been fruitless."Three hours, two floors, and 13 stores, and none of them have anything good!" She shook her head. In the previous years, when she'd spend hours daydreaming about her own future prom, everywhere she looked, there were prom dresses. Now, it was her turn, and for some reason, suddenly, none of the dresses looked half as gorgeous as they used to. She entered the food court, purchased a hot pretzel and sat down.

She was about to bite in, when a flash of pale pink caught her eye. Tootie looked up. Much to her surprise, she saw Trixie and Veronica. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but couldn't help wondering if they were talking about the prom queen situation. Trixie was looking at her, arms crossed and an upset look on her face. Veronica looked slightly nervous, as if trying to persuade Trixie of something. Tootie wondered if she was pleading with Trixie not to be mad at her.

She shook her head. What did she care? She had her own agenda: finding a dress for the prom, which she was attending with Timmy. Timmy Turner. The object of her affection ever since she was eight. Ten whole years. And after a century of persistance, it finally paid off.

A grin grew on her face as she thought of how she nearly kissed Timmy on her doorstep the other day. She wondered if he had liked almost being kissed. Or hated not being kissed. Either one would suit her fine. But she doubted it. _He doesn't like me romantically. Just as a friend. We're only going to prom as friends._ She took a huge bite of pretzel, trying not to focus on that aspect. Instead, she tried to focus on how he'd look in a tux.

Her heart skipped a beat as that image entered her head. She could just see him looking so smooth in his tuxedo, a corsage in one hand, flowers in the other. His wonderfully blue eyes would be widened in amazment as he saw her in her dress. He'd hold her in his arms as they danced all night. And maybe...just maybe, she'd attempt a kiss on the cheek and get to feel his wonderful skin against her lips for the first time since she was ten. But this time, unlike when she was younger, he wouldn't mind the kiiss. This time, she'd kiss his cheek in a more controlled manner, opposite of the barrage of kisses she used to give him.

She broke herself free of her daydreams and threw away the rest of her pretzel. Suddenly, she felt excited, too much so to eat. She made her way towards the escalator, a newfound determination bubbling in her spirit as she made a mental promise: She'd find the perfect dress. Perfect in her mind, and perfect in his too. As she entered another store, she added another promise: By the end of the night, she may not have won him over, but at the least, she wanted a kiss.

* * *

It'd been one day, and already, Veronica was hungry. "Can't I eat just one slushie? Only one?" Veronica held a tight grip on the red slushie in her hand.

"No!" Trixie scoffed , "Think of all the other things in it! You want to get fatter?"

Veronica hesitated, and shook her head. "Didn't think so." Trixie smirked. "This is for your own good. A little week's worth of fasting never did anyone any harm." She smacked the slushie out of the blonde's hands, and it fell to the floor. Beronica stared down at it, and her stomach twisted in hunger.

_This isn't fasting._ she thought bitterly, _It's anorexia. She's turning me into an anorexic. But it's only for a week. She's right, there's no harm in that. So what if I'm hungry. I'm 18. I can tough it out._ She argued with herself before following Trixie out of the mall ignoring the complaints of her stomach.

* * *

_Two days later_

Tootie returned to the mall again. Quite a few stores had gotten some new stock, and she wanted to see if she could find anything. She walked into "Dresses for every occasion except for funerals, because they're too sad" and looked through the selection of dresses. Her hand made contact with something soft. Curious, she pulled it off of the rack. Slowly, her expression changed from serious to nearly giddy.

_Perfect.

* * *

_

_The next day..._

Veronica sighed as she sat down in the cafeteria with Trixie. She was so hungry that it was unbelievable. And just her luck, Trixie had brought steak for lunch that day. She stared hungrily at it while Trixie placed delicate bite-sized pieces into her mouth.

She groaned. "Trixie, I give up. I'm hungry. I'm going to buy lunch."

"No!" Trixie grabbed her wrist just as she stood up. "Think of how much smaller your butt will be. Won't that make you happier?"

"No." a flash of annoyance shot through her, "It'll make me _hungrier_."

"But you've made it through three days!"

"Yeah. So I think I deserve some food." Veronica turned to move, but Trixie tightened her grip on her wrist. She smiled up at her, her eyes narrowed. There was a hint of poison in her voice as she spoke. "I've tolerated you for the last few days, and I didn't do it for nothing--"

"What?" Veronica felt as if she'd been hit in the stomach. "What do you mean you've _tolerated_ me? I thought you were helping me because you're my best friend!" But then, the thought that she'd been pushing into the back of her mind finally came into the light: Trixie wasn't doing it for her because they were friends...because they _weren't _friends. And she hadn't been helping. "But you haven't even been helping me! You've been hurting me!"

"Hurting?" Trixie stood up indignantly, "Fasting is perfectly normal!"

"Yeah, you're right. _Fasting _is perfectly normal. But that wasn't fasting that you had me doing, Trixie."

"Then what the hell do you think it--"

"It was _ANOREXIA, _Trixie!" Veronica shouted angrily. Everyone in the cafeteria stopped talking almost instantly. Hundreds of pairs of eyes immediately shifted in their direction and stared. Veronica didn't care. Right now, she was angry. "Yeah, that's right, Trix. I yelled at you. And you know what? I don't care."

Trixie scowled and crossed her arms. Veronica scowled back. Something was happening to her. All of the emotions that she had ignored for so long were tumbling forward like water from a broken dam. Trixie wasn't her friend. She couldn't even remember her name half the time. She was self centered, spoiled, arrogant, and snobby. If Veronica died tomorrow, she had a feeling Trixie wouldn't even notice. She felt all the insults that had been hurled, all the forgotten birthdays, and one way favors backing up. It was as if someone had shaken a soda bottle. All of her emotions were welling up in her mouth. So she opened it.

"You know what? All you care about it yourself! We're supposed to be best friends. But so far, I've been the only one putting everything into this friendship. You don't even care."

"Of course I care!" Trixie quickly said, "I care about you. That's why I tried to help you. But fine. If you want to get food, then go ahead. It's not like getting a smaller butt will help you win prom queen. It's not like you had a shot with that, anyway."

"This isn't about prom queen, Trixie! It's about you! You're the one who's been causing all the problems! And you've been making me feel like it's my fault! You walk all over me, and you get all the fame for it! And you sleep around with all the guys, and make it seem like I was the wild one when I've never done everything!"

"Hey, it's not my fault that you're easy--" Trixie smirked.

That was it. Veronica was done hearing the one who she thought was her best friend insult her. And she certainly wasn't going to let her lie to her face. She'd had enough.

What happened in the next instant made them realize that Francis, the former bully, was a minor threat compared to Veronica. She lunged for the girl, and slammed her into the wall. Trixie instantly started fighting back, and they toppled to the floor. Veronica straddled her and pulled at her hair before raising her hand to slap her in the face. But then she stopped herself. What was she doing? She couldn't just slap her. She balled her hand. Punching was much more effective. The two of them were now fighting as violently as they came. They were both bleeding in a matter of a minute. Trixie landed a fist to her stomach, and Veronica returned the favor by punching her in the nose. They both continued brawling until finally, one of the lunch ladies pulled Veronica off of Trixie. When she was on her feet, Chad leapt up and held out his arm, to prevent her from trying to hit Trixie again. But he didn't have to worry about that.

She stared down at Trixie. The school's most beautiful girl was sitting up on the floor. She had a cut on her lip, her nose was dripping blood, and the area around her left eye was the palest of blues. Her arms had a few cuts where Veronica had scratched her, and her shirt was ripped. She knew that she erself looked no better. Her lip was bleeding, and judging by the tenderness of her cheek, she probably had a big cut. But she didn't care. It was over.

"You know what? You can be prom queen. I quit." She balled her fists and turned on her heels to go to the nurse. She was done pushing away her common sense for popularity's sake.

"But wait!" Chad called after her. Obviously, he didn't know how to address her. _He probably thinks that if he calls me Veronica, I'll flip out._ she thought bitterly. But she'd taken a year of therapy to get over the identity crisis when she was eleven. But Chad didn't know that. A feeling of shame nearly knocked her to the ground as she remembered how desperately whe wanted to be the evil b-tch in front of her. And another feeling of shame swept through her as she realized how gullible she was, that this whole thing was her fault. She pretended that they were her friends. But she knew they weren't. She pretended that they cared about her. But she knew they didn't. And she pretended that they knew her as a person. But she knew they didn't. Chad didn't know her. Trixie didn't know her. Only Tad knew her. But he was gone. None of them knew her.

Finally, Chad called out tentatively, "Wait, Trixie."

And to everyone's shock, a year of therapy went down the drain as she said old words in a new context. She turned around to face him, her face 20 shades of pink and red as a wave of fury that nobody could ever imagine ran through her. Shaking with anger, she screamed "Don't call me that! I'm Veronica! VERONICA!!! DON'T YOU EVER CALL ME TRIXIE AGAIN! I'M **NOT** TRIXIE! I -- AM-- VERONICA! _MY NAME IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE VERONICA!!!!!"_


	10. Chapter 10

I'm back! Woo-hoo! Let's not waste anytime!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters or the show "The Fairly Odd Parents". Don't sue me.

* * *

Tootie stared in shock at the cafeteria doors, still swinging back and forth from when Veronica stormed through them, nearly shattering the hinges in the process. Chad was helping Trixie to her feet. He wrapped an arm around her waist and tried to help her walk out of the cafeteria. She smacked his arm. "What the hell is your problem?! I'm not crippled, you idiot, I'll walk myself to the nurse! I can handle myself, thanks!" And as if nothing had happened at all, as if no brawl had just occured, as if she hadn't a damaged piece of skin on her body, she flipped her hair haughtily and quickly strutted out of the cafeteria. 

The cafeteria doors swung yet again as she left. Tootie could do nothing but stare at it. The teachers had managed to settle everyone down and coax everybody to continue eating their lunches before returning to their jobs of strolling around the cafeteria. Although everyone seemed to be acting normal, it was a no-brainer that they were all talking about the fight between Trixie and Veronica, who'd been best friends forever. What would happen now that the queen bee lost her best friend? Or as Veronica herself put it, her "flunky"? And was it true that it hadn't been Veronica sleeping around, but Trixie? (DUH!) And most importantly, how was Trixie going to take out her aggression? And for how long?

"Well, it's official." Taylor said, cutting into Tootie's thoughts. She started.

"Huh? What happened?"

Taylor shook his head and laughed. "You were really zoned out there, huh? I mean, you were all, 'Huh? Wha..?' " he laughed. Tootie grinned and hit his arm. "You're such a bully, you know that?"

"Maybe you should get Veronica to take me out. I'm sure she could handle any bully. Plus every member and alumni of the WWF. At the same time."

"Quit avoiding my question. What's official?" Tootie ignored him.

"Nothing." Taylor shook his head. After a slight pause, he stood up. "I'll be right back."

"Where're you going?" Timmy asked, his voice still full of awe. Apparently Tootie wasn't the only one who was still in shock at the major event that had happened.

Taylor didn't answer his question. He just got up and repeated, "I'll be right back," before jogging out of the cafeteria.

* * *

Trixie was almost at the nurses office, and she was nearly trembling with fury. _How dare she, that stupid---that little---_ She let out a low growl and thrashed her fists in the air before catching herself and retaining little left of her dignity. 

"Trixie! Trix!"

Trixie spun around, trying not to let her fury show. As soon as she saw Taylor, there was no fury to hide. "Hello, Taylor." she smiled, the natural flirt in her coming out again. "Come to walk me to the nurse? How sweet of you!" She tucked a strand of his curly blonde hair behind his ear before linking her arm through his. Quickly, he laced his arm out of hers and took a small step back. The instant he did so, he found he felt a slight feeling of intimidation sweep through him. He shook his head, and spoke. "Actually, no. No, that's not what I came for."

A dark look swept across her face, and this time, Taylor felt a slight bit annoyed. He cringed as Trixie's sickly sweet voice cut though his thouhts, "So what did you want, darling?"

"First of all, don't call me darling!" Taylor gasped, a horrified expression on his face, "Geez, my mom calls me that!"

Trixie blinked, an unreadable expression on her face, followed by an I'm-trying-not-to-laugh look. Taylor sighed, "And second, I just wanted to tell you that we're not going to prom together." Taylor said. Any trace of happiness that was on Trixie's bruised and bleeding face was gone in an instant, and a dangerously familiar look of fury replaced it. "What?" she growled, "What do you mean we're not--"

"I mean just what I said!" Taylor raised his voice and spoke slowly, "We're not going...together! I, however, am still going. You, on the other hand, go if you want. But you're sure as hell not going with me!"

"You stupid bas--"

"You know what? Just stuff it, Trixie!" Taylor snapped, glaring at her just as hard as she was at him. "You're spoiled, you're selfish, you're obnoxious, and most of all, you're a manipulative, self-centered bi--" he hesitated. His mom had raised him better than to call any girl such a thing. _Sorry, mom, but you'll understand._ he thought, "You're a bitch, Trixie!" he yelled in her face.

Trixie gasped and reached out to slap him. He caught her wrist just in time. "_And,_ if you even so much as look at me again, I'll file so many restraining orders you won't even be able to leave your own house." he said in a mock cheery voice. Trixie simply glared at him before letting out a low growl, spinning on her heels, and stalking into the nurses office.

Taylor smiled, satisfied and began to walk back towards the cafeteria. A quiet voice called out. "T-Taylor?"

He turned around, surprised to see Veronica, her face soaking wet with tears. He instantly understood that even though Trixie had been playing the victim, the true victim was Veronica. She was the one who'd been manipulated the most. Everyone else had it easy compared to her. He knew that she wasn't truly as mean as she had to pretend to be, so he wanted tosay something nice. He opened his mouth to say something.

Veronica blinked and let out a watery gasp as more tears started to flow. She turned and started walking away at a very fast pace. "Huh? Wait!" He jogged after her, prompting her to move a bit faster. "Veronica, wait! What's wrong?" He knew that was the stupidest thing to ask. She'd just started --and ended (to do both is very impressive)--World War III, that's what was wrong. Veronica walked into the girls bathroom.

"Veronic--" the door slammed in his face. He let out a slightly frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his hair. _Why am I so freaking nice?_ he mentally whined, making sure the coast was clear before walking into the girls bathroom. He could hear her crying. "Veronica?"

Instantly, the sniffling stopped. "Veronica, I know you're in here. I walked in the girls bathroom to help you. So I think you could at least let me help you!" he reasoned, whining just a little bit. He walked along the row of stalls (which wasn't a very long walk, with only three stalls and what not) and sure enough, there was Veronica, sitting in the corner. She was hugging her knees, and her wet eyes were a light shade of red. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Taylor sighed and sat down next to her. "I'm only trying to be nice."

"You risk getting suspended. To help me. Again, what's wrong with you? I don't deserve to be helped. I'm a horrible person." she sniffed and rested her head on her knees. It was then that Taylor noticed that her skirt was ripped, and spotted with blood. " For thirteen years I was Trixie's best friend. I always did what she told me to do. She always had this kind of power. Ever since we were five years old."

"But that's not your fault. Just because she was a bully doesn't me--"

"It means that I was too! I was a nice person. But I wanted to be like her so much. And after a while, I noticed that she was rubbing off on me. I started getting jealous. Over everything. Especially her. I wanted to have her life, have what she had: everybody noticing her, everyone telling her how great she was. She always got so much positivity and I got the negativity. Even from her." She stopped.

Taylor had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he listened to her. Maybe he was wrong, but she didn't seem like the kind of person to open up this much to someone. _Or maybe,_ he realized, _nobody ever gave her a chance to._ She looked so weak, small and confused. And when he thought about it, this was how she always looked. When she was with Trixie, she might've worn the haughty smirk and fake confidence, but she never looked truly happy, did she?

"After a while, I let my jealousy get the best of me,"she continued, wiping tears from her eyes,"By the time I was eight, my parents were truly worried about me. I never talked about anything other than Trixie. They tried to take my mind off of her by talking of other things, but I'd always find some way to relate it to Trixie..."

_flashback_

_"Oh, look, Veronica, isn't that polar bear beautiful?" her father smiled, lifting his eight year old daughter onto his shoulders so that she could see over the crowd at the Dimmsdale Zoo. Her mother reached up and fixed the hem of Veronica's pink shorts to cover her leg. _

_"Daddy! That bear is white! Look at it, oh my goodness! That's amazing! Trixie would love it, I can't wait to tell her about it!"_

_Beneath her, her parents exchanged worried looks._

_end flashback_

_flashback_

_Veronica stood with her mom in Girls Clothing 'R Us. Her mom held up a pair of jeans._

_"Oh Veronica, these are adorable! You'll be able to catch frogs with Tad in these! You always mess up your clothes jumping in that creek. These pants will be perfect!" her mother smiled at her daughter affectionately, referring for the play-date she and Tad's mother had set up for the two children at one 'o clock._

_Little Veronica put a finger to her mouth and stared at them ponderously. "Hmm...nah. I don't like those."_

_"You don't?" Her mother said, surprised._

_"No." Veronica held up a pink and white skirt, covered in bows, lace and frills. "I want this instead, please mommy?"_

_"You do?" Veronica's mom was absolutely dumbfounded. "But honey, you've never liked pink. Or lace and bows. And you've certainly _never _liked skirts! Besides, you can't go frog catching with Tad in those."_

_"But _mother_,"Veronica whined, "I don't even like frog catching!"_

_"I thought you loved it." _

_"No! Frogs are icky and gross!" Veronica made a face, "Besides, I'd rather _date_ Tad, not catch frogs with him, ew! Besides, what would Trixie think?"_

_She missed the concerned look on her mother's face at the mention of Trixie, and held the skirt up to herself. "Does this make my thighs look big? Trixie says that skirts can do that if they're not the right palette for your skin."..._

_end flashback_

Veronica shook her head. "I was so determined to be like her that I wanted to _be_ her. And she knew it. When I was ten, I refused to be called anything but Trixie. Otherwise, I went into hysterics. I was diagnosed with acute schizophrenia, and went through therapy until I was twelve." she said, an ashamed look on her face. "And then, there was Tad. He was the only one I could talk to about anything. When we were with Trixie, he'd act snobbish and everything, but we all did. It was part of our act. Chad and Trixie were the only ones who weren't pretending.

"But back to Tad. I could always talk to him. He was my true best friend. But I didn't want to admit it. I couldn't bear the thought of anybody other than Trixie being my best friend, because I knew how mad she'd get. But I don't know why I cared. She never cared about me anyway. To her, I was just another person to add to her list of friends. Her popularity posse. That's it." her voice cracked on her next words. "She didn't even know my name."

With a clearing of her throat, she continued, "Tad knew my name. He knew everything about me. My name --even my middle name!--my birthday, my favorite color--my passionate hatred for anything pink, frilly or girlie--he knew that I was a tomboy, and would rather spend time catching frogs than shopping for girlie crap. And most importantly, he knew my pain. He knew what I was going through, and how I was literally ripping in half on the inside. How I couldn't even tell what I wanted anymore--if I now actually liked being the prissy bitch Trixie'd turned me into, or if I still wanted to spend my time catching frogs. I couldn't even find me anymore. I didn't know what I wanted. I didn't know who I was.

"And I remember how I knew everything about him too. When I was with him, I didn't even _think_ about Trixie. She never crossed my mind. I could just be me. I found me. I knew exactly what I wanted. But the thing was...as soon as I wasn't around him...I'd forget. Not on purpose, but..it was just that "Trixie-like" mentality, you know? It was like his house, or anywhere I was with him had an anti-Trixie sheild. I would forget about her, and about all the influences and holds she had on me. I'd remember what _I_ wanted. But then, the sheild would be gone. And what I wanted wouldn't matter anymore. And it'd get blocked out. And I could talk to him about anything. Especially during my counseling. He went with me to every session for support. And he still treated me like a regular person despite it." she stopped.

Taylor looked up when she stopped. "It's ok. You can keep going if you like. I don't mind."

Veronica stared at her hands. "When we were 12 I started to like him. But I didn't want to admit it. Even though I didn't act like it, I wasn't too interested in dating. And it felt so wierd to like my best friend. But when we were 14, I could actually face it. I never said anything. I guess that's a good thing because that was the year he and his family moved to the U.K. We promised to keep in touch. And we did, for a while. E-mails, and letters, and we talked on the phone for two hours everyday. But then, I remember one day, he didn't call. And I didn't get any e-mails or letters. They all just stopped. Just like that. I only got his answering machine. But he never called back. He didn't respond to my e-mails or letters either.

"And I felt worthless because of it. I remember thinking, 'My best friend in the whole world doesn't even want to talk to me anymore. I must be some kind of trash.'"

"That's not true."

"No, but that's what I thought." Veronica cut in. "He was my best friend. No...he was my only friend."

Taylor looked down at his own hands and sighed.

"When Trixie first made me start "fasting", I wanted to call him. Because I realized that Trixie knew it was anorexia. She knew it'd hurt me. I _was_ her, remember? So I know how she thinks. That's the only good that came from my schizofrenia. She was thinking, 'Maybe I can get things so bad that she'll be stuck in the hospital, at least until after prom. Then I'm guaranteed to win Prom Queen.' And when I realized that was what she was thinking, my paradigm changed. I realized she was jealous of me. She was afraid of me. She was afraid of losing to me, and of losing me. And it made me realize she wasn't this sweet, innocent little porcelain doll that you had to oblige to all the time or she'd shatter. She's nothing more than a jealous, controlling, self-centered, ugly disposition in a beautiful body. And I wasn't afraid of shattering the doll anymore. There are so many in the world, breaking one won't matter. So I broke her." She gestured towards her cuts, "I got cut by the glass, but I broke her. And I don't care what anyone thinks." Despite that, tears started rolling down her face again.

"Then why are you crying?" Taylor said softly, wrapping an arm around her in a small but comforting hug.

"Because I'm happy. I can be me again. And even though Tad isn't here, I know what I want."


	11. Chapter 11

Oh boy, I have some more ideas to add on to my main idea, which I swear will be a huge huge HUGE surprise to every one of you who are reading this story :) Muahahahahahahahah!!!!!!!

OK, ANYWAY... Thank you for reading and to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate the support. : )

WARNING: ANGGGGGGSSSSTTTTTYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

DISCLAIMER: I hate writing long disclaimers. You already KNOW I don't own anything except my ideas. So, I mean, cut me some slack here!

* * *

_How dare she!_ Trixie was fuming. It was all she could do to sit on the cot as the nurse dabbed at each and every tiny little cut with medication. It stung. And those were just the small cuts. But she didn't care. It was nothing compared to the pain that'd been inflicted upon her. Yes, she'd fought back. She'd fought the good fight. But she'd lost. How? She was a Tang. A Tang was successful at anything --_anything_--they set out to do. How was it she'd failed? 

As she winced in pain, she felt her cheeks burn in fury at the bitter thought: Why was she sucessful in everything except the one thing that mattered? Even she had enough common sense to know that excaping a fight with her health intact was more important than wearing and saying the right things. What was even the point of wearing all the right things? Where did it get her? Where did saying all the right insults lead her? Why did they seem so necessary? For once, Veronica, not her, had succeeded. In more ways than one.

And as if her ego hadn't already suffered a great blow, Taylor chose that moment to tell her they wouldn't be attending prom, together at least. Her fists balled as anger rekindled within her like a paper in hot embers. She tensed her arms to push herself up and go find Veronica. To take out her anger. It was her turn. But Nurse Hoosier had different plans for her. She pressed a cloth drenched in medication against a long, jagged cut on her cheek. Trixie yelled out in pain, her arms giving out, and her rear falling the two inches back to the cot she'd been attempting to escape. She attempted to pull away but the nurse held her firm. "No, dear," she said, "This will clean out the cut. You don't want a nasty infection on that pretty little face, now do you?"

Trixie almost snorted. _What_ pretty face? It wasn't pretty and she knew it. A black eye, and multiple cuts marred the beauty. "It burns." she said irrately.

"Then next time, don't get in a fight." the nurse replied simply.

And something in Trixie snapped.

She stood up spun to face the nurse. "_SHE_ started with ME! I wasn't trying to fight!" She stared down the poor woman, who was a good foot shorter than her. "And stay out of my business or else I swear by everything I know that's still true---" Trixie's voice cracked. How was it she was being hurt by her own words now? She ignored it and finished out her threat, strong and true, "--I'll have you fired, and I'll find some way to get your ass in prison!" She snatched the cloth out of the woman's hand, pressed it to her face and stormed out of the room.

When she was a good distance from the office, she collapsed. She didn't care about all the germs and dirt that were no doubt there with her. She lay in the corner, her face on the floor, sobbing. The medicated cloth was cold on her wound. But she didn't care. Like that mattered anymore. She sobbed, and cried into the floor like it was her pillow.

She wished she had a friend with her. They'd hold her, and comfort her, and let her cry into their shoulder, soothing her. Telling her things would be fine. That even though she no longer had her dignity, or her best friend, things would be fine. That time would heal her emotional wounds and her physical wounds together. But a quake of fear mixed sickenly with her anger as it finally clicked in her mind. She had no friend who would do that.

_Her_ friends would scoff and tell her how ridiculous she was being. _Her _friends would simply purse their lips in embarrassment of her, and whisper for her to stop crying, or to at least get in a stall in the bathroom. _Her_ friends would push her off their shoulder, complaining about how their shirts would be ruined because of a few little teardrops. No, she didn't have true friends. She had a brand of friends. That was the path she'd chosen.

So for now, the cold blue and white tiling would have to be her shoulder.

What she wouldn't have given to get out of this mess. She shut her eyes tightly as more tears spilled out like unorganized clockwork. And another wave of anger flushed through her. She was angry at herself. _Why am I crying? I need to stop!_ she thought angrily. She forced herself to sit up, choking as she held back a sob. She threw the cloth to the ground and wiped her face viciously with her hand. In her mind,she had no reason to cry.

Of course, this was to be expected, her downfall. She'd always stepped on everyone, Veronica most of all. Because Veronica was the closest thing she'd ever had to a friend. She'd been a true friend. She'd always been there for her, always been kind to her...heck, the girl wanted to _be _her. She was a real friend. So why couldn't Trixie ever reciprocate those feelings? Instead, she saw the chance, and stepped all over her. She'd walked all over Veronica. But then, she remembered that she _had _reciprocated the feelings and shown that she cared. Because after she'd turned Veronica into nothing more than a pile of nothing, she remolded her in her own ideals of perfection. So that when she rose, they could rise together. After all, a carbon copy is just a good as the original, right? She shook her head. Not anymore.

Veronica was lucky. She'd always known it was wrong, everything they did...it was all wrong. And she'd wanted to break free and make it right. And she had. Trixie knew that after today, Veronica wouldn't have to worry about changing to maintain friends. About buying all the latest things. About failing tests and not doing homework because "being smart is uncool". About saying all the "right" things, even if it was wrong. About doing all the cool things. About being who the world didn't even want you to be, but expected you to be, because you've made such strong justifications for the behavior. She was free. The heavy burden was lifted. And now it was all on Trixie. She'd now be alone in struggling to carry the burden. She wanted to do as Veronica did. So badly. But she knew that this was the way it had to be. If her "best friend" wasn't there to bask in the "joy" of popularity with her, she'd have to do it alone. Because she was the Queen Bee. She was the captain of her own sinking ship. And even if everyone else abandoned early, she had to stay on until the end. It was no longer a choice. But it _was._ And she wanted out.

But she knew that even though popularity was nothing more than a black hole, there was a tiny light in the center that attracted her, made her lusty for power, the forbidden fruit that would always tempt her to stay. And she'd never be able to leave it. And as a consequence, she'd stay where she was. With a sigh, she forced herself to put on her usual face: non-caring, calm, and vain. But this time, a hint of her inner-misery shone through; the glitter in her eyes was gone. Even a small detail like that would let people know she was upset. But nobody would every try to get close enough to find out why, or even act like they cared. No, they'd all ignore it and pretend it wasn't there. They'd ignore it and worship her as usual. Because to everyone, she was nothing more than a walking standard that everyone wanted to reach, so that they could be happy. Because she was popular. And if they dared get close, they'd end up in a hospital. But Trixie wanted someone to try. So that she'd have an excuse to escape the bullsh-t. And if it didn't, she'd wish she had enough courage to escape by herself, like Veronica. Maybe pick up the tiny shards of their friendship and start over. But it'd never happen, because even if 99.9 percent of her wanted out, that .1 percent would never let her leave. Misery needed company. And now that company was gone, she'd always be in need.

* * *

_TWO WEEKS LATER..._

Two whole weeks. Tootie sighed. It had been two whole weeks since the big fight between Veronica and Trixie. She didn't really care. They could settle whatever scores they needed to. IT wasn't any concern of hers. But she couldn't help but keep it on her mind. The whole school's mentality had changed. No longer was it the happy Dimmsdale High School, home to the beutiful people, full of wannabe popular people. Actually it was. But at the same time, it wasn't. Everyone had become more subdued. Deep down, most people except a few still desired to be popular. But all you had to do was walk through a hallway to feel the amped up tension. People were quieter in the hallways. They still attempted to impress the Elite Ones, but more subtley. It could be called nothing more than ironic that the only people who acted as if nothing had happened were the Elitists themselves.

At least, Tootie noticed, Veronica had the courage to return to school to next day. She didn't get a pity party, nor did she ask for one. She went about as if it were any other day. But she was different. Happier. She apologized sincerely to anyone she'd hurt. "Hi. Can I talk to you in private, please?" She was free to be herself. She came dressed in nothing more than green cargo pants, black and white Converse shoes, and a white baby-tee shirt. Her hair was not held back in it's ponytail by a gold encrusted bauble, or a scrunchy full of sequins and glamour, but a rubber band. And when the time came that she had to encounter the Elites, the ones whom she still belonged to, much to everybody's shock, she gave them a polite hello, smiled, and kept moving. _You don't own my soul..._ She'd treated them like _normal_ people. By lunch time, she was chatting happily with Elise Vickerson _Band geek... _Grey Smith _Nerd..._ and Lionel Baratucci _Emo freak..._ and she like them. And they liked her. In fact, she'd made sure that everyone saw that they didn't live up to their stereotypes. Elise was a normal person. As a matter of fact, nobody could tell she was in band. She didn't look it. But then, how do you look like you're in band? Grey certainly didn't dress like a nerd. Jeans and sports jerseys were all he wore. And just because he was intelligent didn't mean he was a nerd. As a matter of fact, there wasn't even a steady definition for the word. And Lionel certainly wan't emo. Black just happened to be his favorite color. He thought it was poetic. But he was the happiest person she'd ever known .Comedy was his forte. And even if he _had_ been emo, who cared? Emo's weren't freaks. In her opinion, they were people who were real.

And Tootie couldn't deny she was proud of her.

Trixie, on the other hand, hadn't been at school since the fight. Nobody knew where she was. But Trixie and Veronica's affairs were the least of her concern.

Tootie could hardly contain her excitement. Prom was only a day away. She chucled. _Only_ a day away. As if a day isn't forever. Well, in her mind. She plopped down on her bed and looked at her green walls. She grinned again as she thought back to when she was ten. Every wall had been covered with so many pictures of Timmy that she'd been surprised to see color on the walls when she finally took them down. She'd been so insane back then. And now that a few years passed, her hyperactive-stalker manner died, and the pictures came down, she'd finally gotten what she wanted. To be with Timmy.

She wouldn't've cared if she was going to be with him on different standards. She'd be perfectly content just talking to him on the phone. So going to Prom with him was very thrilling! And just as she thought that, the phone rang. She forced herself up and answered it. Speak of the devil...

"Hey, Tootie!"

"Timmy! What's up? Why do you sound so excited?" Tootie couldn't help but smile as she stared out her window at the cherry-blossom tree in her yard.

"Oh, no reason. Nothing too important, except that I happened to get us reservations at Chez Amore!"

"WHAT?!" Tootie leapt to her feet. "You--Chez---No way! Timmy, I--Wow!"

"Yeap..." he drawled proudly, and Tootie could just see him now, stretching as if it were no big deal, a mixture of pride, smugness, and thrill on his face.

"But Timmy, that restaurant is so expensive." Tootie grinned, "You really didn't have to do it."

"Ok, first off, I have a job, so I've got it covered," he stated firmly, trying to sound annoyed, but she could hear the amusement in his voice, "Second of all, I'm the one paying, so don't worry about it. And third, just shut up, ok?" and he laughed.

"Don't make me come over there." Tootie threatened, chuckling herself.

"Oh?" the smirk was nearly visible in his tone, "Yeah, right, like you can even hurt a fly."

"Is that a challenge?"

"What did it sound like, Tootie?" he muffled a laugh and Tootie laughed.

"Ok,ok. But seriously, Chez Amore is very expensive. You don't have to use your whole paycheck for our dinner."

"Of course not, because you're going to want a limo, a doorman, and perhaps a professional singer to serenade you too, right?" he joked.

"Oh, shut up!" Tootie grinned, "But yeah, that sounds nice. I can only imagine it."

"You're right. You can only _imagine_ it. Because it's not happening." he laughed and Tootie rolled her eyes and surpressed a giggle.

"But Chez Amore is famous for it's fancy food, and really good service and---" she hesitated. She didn't want to point out that a lot of people went there when planning to propose for marrige.

"So what? What's wrong with good food and service?" Timmy sounded truly confused. And why not? Tootie hesitated before speaking gingerly. "Um...Timmy, you do know that Amore means love...right?"

A pause. Apparently not.

"Yeas, Tootie. I know that." he said slowly. "What's you're point.

"Nearly everyone who goes in there comes out married!" she blurted out, and felt her face get warm.

"So you don't want to marry me? I'm hurt..."

"_Timmy_!" Tootie groaned.

"Sorry. But yes, Tootie, I did know. And yes, it's good place to make marrige proposals, but so what? We're not going there so that I can propose to you. We're going so that we can eat before Prom. And we're not going to be alone. So don't worry."

Tootie blushed. She'd forgotten that Chester and A.J. would be accompanying with their dates. "Oh...right. Sorry."

"Are you nervous or something?" he asked, and again, she blushed.

"No. I was just getting a bit too logical about things for my own good. Sorry."

"Ok, fine. Well, I've got to go, so I'll see you at school, ok?"

"Bye." she said, and hung up the phone. She _was_ nervous. It was her first time going out with Timmy anywhere. And even though it was on mutual, non-romantic terms, her head was spinning.

* * *

Taylor stared out his window and sighed. Things still felt odd. He could still remember every word Veronica had said to him in the bathroom last week. It had stuck with him. And somehow, it placed a burden on him. But it was a good burden. Because it was that burden that kept telling him that he could be truly close to his friends only if he was completely honest. And he hadn't been. That burden told him that he should be. And he would. And he'd thank Veronica for it too. 

He'd also thank her for confiding in him. It'd been a long time since someone had confided in him like that. It felt nice, knowing he could still be trusted.

HE picked up the phone.

* * *

Veronica stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had to admit that she looked a lot different from how she used to look. The few small cuts she had were healing well. The bruise on her left cheek was now a faded gray rather than a bold purple. But the truly drastic change was that finally, after eight years, she was able to smile again. 

And not because she had to.

But now, she stood by her closet, holding her prom dress, staring at it with a certain disgust. She'd been questioning whether or not to go. But she now knew. She yanked it off the hanger and began to pull, ready to rip the 5,000 dollar dress right at the seams. There was too much lace on it for her tastes anyway. And then the phone rang. With sigh, Veronica dropped the unripped dress and it landed on the floor with a soft fluttering of fabric. She grabbed the phone and managed to relax a bit.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, Veronica!" a chipper voice on the other line sang out.

Veronica blushed. "Taylor?" she stammered, "How --how'd you get my number? I mean--"

"It's called a phonebook." she heard him laugh on the other end of the phone. She grinned.

"So anyway, what are you doing?" he asked. Veronica looked over at her dress, crumpled on the floor.

"Nothing."

"Well, what are you doing tomorrow?"

Veronica found herself blushing again. "Uh...why?"

"Well, I wanted to know if you wanted to go to Prom with me."

"Me?" she blurted in disbelief, "I thought you were going with Trixie?" she felt her hands curl into tight fists as she said the name. She shut her eyes and shook her head.

"Yeah, well, she and I have a lot less in common than I once thought."

Veronica smiled, "Then in that case, yes. I'd love to."

"Great!" he said.

"Great." she repeated, equally as enthusiastic, but trying to sound calm. There was an awkward silence that followed.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Be ready by seven, ok? Bye."

"Wait!" Veronica exclaimed, "Aren't we going to make plans? I mean, what's going to happen? Should I meet you there, are you going to pick me up, what's going on?"

"Veronica, you trust me, right?"

Veronica sighed. She'd poured out her soul to him, just as she could formerly only do with Tad. But when Tad left her life, Taylor showed up, and --as much as it killed her inside to say-- replaced him. Tad had become a stranger. Taylor had become her confidante in those few moments. And she'd even admitted it herself before the whole situation: he was cute, and she had a slight interest in him. How could she not trust him?

"Yeah, I trust you."

"Then trust me on this."

"But--"

"Bye," he said in a teasing voice before hanging up. Veronica hung up the phone with a sigh before hanging up the dress again. "Lucky you. I guess you'll be spared after all."


	12. Chapter 12

Here it is, everyone... THE DAY OF THE PROM!!!!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own, you don't sue.

* * *

Timmy walked down the street to Tootie's house, a small box in his hands, and apprehension in his eyes. Prom is supposed to be one of the greatest moments of your teenage life...what if something disastrous happened? What if the limo showed up? What if their dinner reservations were canceled? Tonight would be full of what if's. He sighed as he stepped onto the porch and rang the doorbell. He'd simply have to forget the what if's. 

The door opened, and there stood Tootie's parents. The sight of their smiling faces made him forget any nervousness he once had. But still, everything felt so out of the ordinary: Tootie's mother gave him a huge hug..her dad shook his hand and clapped him on the back before instructing him to take good care of his little girl...and then she came down the stairs...

And the world stopped.

* * *

Veronica sat on her bed, another wave of nausea overcoming her. She stared at the dress on the floor. Well, her former prom dress. Currently, it was nothing more than a pile of pink fabric and lace. Sequins covered the floor like shining confetti. 

Quite frankly, she wasn't quite sure what had possessed her to do it, but she had. She'd taken one last glance at her prom dress, and --knowing that she was still going to prom-- grabbed it, and pulled hard. The sequins had burst off the dress in an explosion of hot pink, and the dress tore in half. She continued this process until the dress looked more like shag carpet from the 70's.

She shut her eyes and sighed before opening them and walking over to her mirror so that she could chastise herself. What had she been thinking?She stared in disdain at her reflection, and opened her mouth to speak, but closed it, her expression softening. She had to admit, the new prom dress she'd purchased earlier looked much better on her.

She was garbed in a soft yellow strapless ankle length dress. The neckline plunged down to her waist in the front, only to reveal a darker shade of yellow. On her feet were black strappy sandals. Her hair was up in a bun with a few strands loose.

She smiled again, the nausea passing. Why had she been ready to chastise herself? She looked nice. "Besides," she said aloud to her reflection, "You look better as big bird than you do as a flamingo." She chuckled at her joke. It sounded so much like something Tad would say.

_Tad..._

She missed him so much. He was her best friend, and it made her feel horrible whenever she thought of how Taylor had "replaced" him. But how could he not? Taylor was so nice, and he listened to her problems. Most importantly, he accepted her for who she was. Just like Tad had. Even still, she knew that Tad would always have a special place in her heart for the rest of her life. She wanted to say that he could never be replaced. She yearned to. But she felt that saying so would be a lie.

* * *

Taylor sighed as he walked up the driveway to the mansion that Veronica lived in. For some reason, it felt like he was walking up a pathway to heaven...or down to hell. He wasn't sure why he felt intimidated by the mansion, why it felt like the house itself was scowling at him. Perhaps it knew that he wasn't being entirely honest with one of it's occupants? 

"I promise I'll tell her everything." he said, immediately feeling foolish when he realized he was talking to a house. Paranoia does strange things to people. And to make matters worse, making a verbal promise only left him feeling like the house was now mercilessly laughing at him. He reached over and rang the doorbell. This was it. The evening would begin well, but he had no idea how it would end. He had a sickening feeling that after he explained things to Veronica, it'd only be by some unknown mercy that he didn't end up in a ditch somewhere.

The door opened and a pleasantly plump woman with curly red hair, glasses, and enough lipstick to be mistaken for a firetruck opened the door. After Taylor stepped into the house, the woman closed the door, and engulfed him in a huge --not to mention suffocating-- hug.

"Welcome!" She exclaimed in a yiddish accent, "it's been a long time, my boy, a very long time indeed!" Taylor blinked, wondering what she meant. They'd never met before. He'd been to her house when he walked Veronica home from school on the day of her breakdown, but he'd never seen her. Perhaps she was senile? In either case, it did nothing to stop her from placing a kiss on both cheeks before smiling widely and approving of his appearance.

"Grandma!" came a cry from the staircase. The woman directed her attention away from him, much to his relief, and smiled.

Taylor looked over at Veronica and his worries were all gone. She looked beautiful. "Wow." he breathed, "You look...um...wow."

"That better be a good wow." she grinned and walked over to punch him playfully in the arm.

"Ronnie!" her grandmother scolded softly, "You are dressed like a young lady, so you must act like one!" she turned to Taylor and explained, "I think it's the name. Veronica. The only nickname you can pull out of it is masculine. That is why she acts so boyishly at times. I told her parents, 'Give the girl a Polish name, you know, delicate, feminine. But do they listen to me? No. They insist on Veronica. Nice name and all, but look at how it makes her act like a boy, punching people. Do nice girls always punch each other?" she asked.

Taylor chuckled. Obviously, Veronica hadn't informed her about her WWF deathmatch with Trixie. Taylor raised an eyebrow at her before opening his mouth. As if reading his mind, she narrowed her eyes at him, giving him a silent warning. Taylor simply shut his mouth, a smug grin on his face.

"No." she continued, "I personally think it comes fr--

"Grandma!" Veronica cut in, her cheeks blushing pink. Taylor grinned. She was so cute when she blushed. "Taylor and I have to go."

"Oi!" Grandma chuckled and blushed, "I am sorry. You will learn soon enough, Taylor: when I start to ramble, it takes an army to settle me. Or Ronnie." after laughing at her own joke, she pushed the two of them gently towards the door. "Now be gone with you. And have fun!"

Taylor suppressed his laughter as the door shut behind them.

"And if you don't like the 'masculine' nickname, then quit calling me Ronnie!" she yelled at the door.

This time, Taylor did laugh. Outrageously.

"What?" Veronica asked with mock indignance.

"You---your grandma and you---"

"Oh shut up." she laughed. They walked to the limo waiting in the street, Taylor laughing the whole time. It was probably the last laugh he'd get for a long time.

* * *

Timmy stared in awe at the raven haired girl before him. She wore a dress in a shade of blue that was so exotic he almost didn't recognize that it was a shade of blue at all. A black choker was around her elegant neck, and her hair was in a beautiful twist. Blue sandals peeked out from underneath her floor length dress. 

"Hi, Timmy." she smiled.

"Hi." was all he was able to say back. He could've stayed silent forever if it meant looking at her. After what seemed like an eternity of staring, he blushed, realizing that he was standing there like an idiot. "Um, I --are you ready to go?"

"Not so fast!" her mother cried out, "We need pictures!"

And that was exactly what they got. In fact, when the two teens finally walked outside, the dark sky looked like something from a negative photo: a white light.

* * *

Taylor looked at Veronica, who was now quietly looking out the window. He wasn't sure his his stomach flipped because he had to tell her his own secrets, just as she'd done, or because she looked so beautiful. 

He sighed. He knew it had to be done. He'd wanted to wait until the end of the night, to tell her; after they'd had fun; after they'd strengthened their friendship just a little more. Because generally, great friends are more forgivable than good friends. But even still, he suspected that this would be the last time he ever talked to her.

He was unforgivable.

But in the end, he decided to tell her right away. That way she could avoid. That was it. Just...avoid. Avoid the regret of having spent a whole night with such a traitor and actually enjoying it. Avoid the humiliation that would probably follow. Avoid the pain of knowing that he was her friend, and making the mistake of thinking she was wrong.

This way, he could avoid some things also. He could avoid having to tell the truth in front of everyone rather than having them find out on their own. Avoid the look of shock in Timmy's eyes, followed by a look of anger that would say, _You hurt so many people..._ Avoid the big argument that was sure to follow.

And even once they went their separate ways, they'd still avoid together. They'd avoid seeing each other. Avoid looking at each other.

Avoid tragedy.

With a sigh he looked up, only to find Veronica staring at him with her sinfully large blue eyes. He forced a grin, even though his heart leapt in terror. _I'll never see that smile again. At least, not for me..._

"What's up?"

"Nothing," he lied, feeling guilt, "Just thinking."

"This is prom night, buddy! There's no room for thinking. Well, except for thinking about not drinking and driving, and not...um..you know..." she blushed.

Taylor felt his own cheek color heightening to a shade of pink that he wouldn't dare look in the mirror to see. "Um...yeah...I know." he cleared his throat. "Hey, Veronica, I need to talk to you about something really important before we reach Timmy and Tootie--"

"--Too late, we're on their street." she grinned before flicking the switch to open the sunroof. She leapt across the open space to hug a surprised Taylor before pulling at his collar and pointing up.

Taylor raised an eyebrow, "Are you serious?"

"We only live once. I've wasted enough of my childhood trying to appeal to others. It's my turn to have fun." she grinned before standing and leaning out of the sunroof whooping at the top of her lungs.

Taylor sighed, disappointed. He'd have to tell her later. Until then, it wouldn't hurt to try and have fun... With a grin, he leapt up and leaned out of the sunroof so quickly that his head collided with her elbow. Maybe it would hurt to try and have fun. Veronica simply laughed and rubbed his head before continuing in her shouts. Taylor smiled and joined her, greeting Tootie and Timmy who were further down the road.

Yes, he'd tell Veronica later. Until then, a little happiness wouldn't hurt.

* * *

"Um...The limo will be here soon. It's picking up Veronica and Taylor." he said, for lack of anything better to say. 

"That's fine. I need to talk to you anyway." she said, and took hold of his arm. He smiled. She smelled as sweet as the flowers growing on the tree in her front yard.

"Shoot." he said, ready to listen to the angel for the rest of his life.

"It's about Taylor." she said hesitantly. "I think that he may be--"

She was cut off by the sound of a horn honking. The limo pulled to a stop in front of the driveway. Taylor and Veronica were standing up, leaning out of the sunroof, hooting and cheering loudly.

"Come on, slowpokes, pick up the pace!" Veronica cheered.

Tootie blinked, "I definitely like this Veronica a lot better."

"I think everyone does." Timmy laughed, "But let's keep her away from the punch. She doesn't need anymore sugar."

"I heard that!" Veronica said before plopping back down through the sunroof. Taylor laughed. "Ooh, she's gonna get you..." he said while slowly sliding back down.

Tootie glanced at Timmy and he felt his cheeks starting to burn.

"Shall we?" he held out his arm.

"Of course." she smiled, and he led her to the limo, which pulled off into the night.

* * *

Two pick-ups, an hour, and many delicious meals later, they arrived at the Downtown Dimmadance Country Club, where the Prom was being held. 

"So, what first? There's a lot of us in this group." Taylor said.

"Come on, Timmy, let's get our pictures done!" she grabbed his hand and pulled him off into the crowd."

Taylor looked at Chester, A.J., and their dates. "I guess it's just the six of us now."

"Ooh! Look, Cindy! They have cheese on really fancy plates! Oh, how I hope it's gouda!" he flashed his braceless teeth in a huge grin and pulled along a very love-struck Cindy.

Taylor sighed and looked at A.J., who was letting his date, Allison, fix his boutonniere. He looked over at Taylor and raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"Nothing. I was just expecting you to run off too. Everyone else did. Veronica, who was holding his arm, couldn't help but giggle. This was the kind of situation that one would expect to see in a cartoon!

"No, man, I was going to stick around." he shrugged before letting a smug, evil grin slowly grow on his face. "But if that's what you want..." he drawled, before turning to Allison, "Why, Allision, I do believe we've been insulted." he said with mock indignity. Allison chuckled before nodding in agreement.

"What say we take our presence where it is welcomed?" she took his arm and they quickly walked off into the crowd, but not before A.J. looked back and gave him a smug grin. "Bye..." he mouthed.

Taylor rolled his eyes, amused, and Veronica laughed.

"Ok...I guess it's the two of us."

"Let's dance!" she grinned at him eagerly and yanked him into the crowd.

A good eight dances later, a slow dance came on. Taylor looked hesitantly at Veronica, who sheepishly looked down at the floor. Taylor smirked, "Are you really that shy?"

She shyly looked up at him. "Nope." Before he had a chance to react, she had reached out and yanked him close to her so hard that he wondered when he'd actually moved so close. "Getting a little bold, are we, miss?"

"Hey, what can I say?" Veronica giggled at his surprise. Taylor grinned. After a moment, he looked down at Veronica. She was staring at his shoulder, but on her face was the most wonderful expression. It was an expression that he knew so well that it was like finally seeing your favorite family member after several years. She was reminiscing. Her eyes were pointed at his shoulder, but they were unfocused, as what she was "seeing" wasn't really there, but in her mind's eye. Her lips were slightly parted, and her face was filled with calm.

He couldn't help but stare with a smile. Finally, she blinked and looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking."

"Tad?" he guessed.

"Sorry." she apologized, "I shouldn't be, but..."

"It's ok. I understand." he smiled at her.

"...but I couldn't help it. You just look..."

"Don't worry about it."

"..so much like him."

"I really don't mind--what?" Taylor blinked in surprise. That was one thing that he certainly hadn't been expecting.

"Have you seen him lately?" Taylor felt idiotic for even asking, because he knew the answer.

"No. But when I imagine what he looks like now, I see you."

"Oh, really?" Taylor gave a small smile, "And why is that?"

"Well..."she shook her head, "It doesn't matter." After a moment, she managed to look him in the eye and smile. Taylor couldn't do anything except for smile back. Quite frankly, he wouldn't have been able to do anything else if he tried. It was near impossible to look into her eyes, and still function properly. As a matter of fact, the only thing to do was to let pure instinct take over.

Which is how he found himself mirroring her actions when she leaned in towards him. So many thoughts and emotions ran through his mind as he found himself closer and closer to her. So many, that right as their lips were about to touch, he shook his head and leaned back. "No."

Veronica's eyes fluttered open.

"I can't." were the next words to reluctantly leave his mouth.

"Oh." she said softly.

"Not yet, anyway." he added to make her feel better, even though he knew that later, she'd never want to look at him again. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." she forced a smile, "It was my fault. I tried to kiss you. I was just thinking about Tad again. Back when we were about ten, we were practicing a dance for a ballroom class that our moms were forcing us to take. It was around this time that I liked Timmy."

Taylor raised an eyebrow, deeply intrigued now. "Really? Please, do continue."

Veronica, obviously pleased that there were no hard feelings, did just that. "Well, at least I let everyone _think_ that I liked him. I'd "secretly" obsess over him, hoping to get caught. I'd stalk him, and tease him, and...it was just crazy." she chuckled, "But I only acted like that because really, I liked Tad. And I mean I _liked_ Tad. _He_ was who I was crazy about."

Taylor gave her a smile, "Are you going to continue?"

"Talking about another boy doesn't bother you?"

"As long as this 'other boy' thing happened when you were ten, knock yourself out." he laughed. Veronica grinned and continued, "But, yeah, I really like him, you know? So anyway, we were practicing our dance. The competition was only a day away and we hardly had the moves down. We were a couple of clumsy spazzes."

"You've improved a lot since then." he noted, complimenting her on her dancing skills. She blushed and smiled, "So we decided if we were going to at least improve a little bit, we should probably figure out how to hold each other. So he had taken my hand in his, and I'd put my other hand on his shoulder. He was blushing because he had to put his hand on my waist. I remember that. So he was stalling, looking around the room, trying to look at everything but me. And I thought he looked so cute like that, you know? So I got really bold and tried to kiss him. And right when I leaned forward, he discovered that his shoe was untied. So he bent down, and I leaned forward, and …it didn't end well."

"Ouch." Taylor said solemnly. A fluttering sensation lay at the bottom of his stomach as he looked down at his feet, moving slowly with hers to the rhythm of the music.

"Yeah well anyway, it's just that you and me dancing…it made me think about kissing Tad. And it made me wonder if it would be the same as kissing you."

Taylor looked up just as she looked away, a horrified expression on her face. She must've sensed him looking at her, because she sheepishly looked back at him. "That didn't come out right."

"Hmm-hmm." he gave a brief, smug nod to show that he didn't believe her.

"I-I…I just meant that because y-you remind me of him---a-and…well, I…" she stammered, "And because…I dunno what I was…I lost my head for a s… say something, please?" she added feebly.

Taylor couldn't help it. He bit his tongue so that he wouldn't start laughing. Then he pressed his lips against hers. The sudden new warmth against his mouth made his face flush. As much as he wished he could stay there, he pulled back forced himself to look her in the eye. "So?" he managed to say, despite his heart threatening to tear out of his chest at any second. The pink cheeked girl in front of him blinked once. Twice.

"Well…If I imagined Tad kissing me, I guess it would feel exactly like that." she finally managed to say.

"_Exactly _like that?" Taylor grinned, his stomach fluttering again.

"_Exactly_ like that." she said, "Because metaphorically speaking, you're my new Tad."

Taylor sighed. He wasn't sure if this was what he wanted to hear or not. So he settled for it. "Good enough."

Another slow song started.

"So." Taylor said awkwardly, "We kissed."

"Yeah."

Taylor sighed. His stomach was churning, but now with guilt. He couldn't do this to her anymore. "We need to talk now."

"Can we talk and dance?"

Taylor placed his hands on her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Now then, tell me." she instructed, a friendly tone in her voice.

He hesitated. Where did he start? How do you tell someone something like what he was about to say? "Uh…well…I…it's about…Tad, actually."

" I already know."

"You do?" he blinked in surprise. But how?

"Yeah. You know him. I knew it. It wasn't hard to figure out. I just figured you didn't want to say anything because you liked me and felt guilty. I just let it go. I knew you'd tell me when you were ready."

Taylor exhaled, not quite sure what to say. Veronica blinked, "Well that's it, isn't it?"

"Well…kinda." he said slowly.

"Well that's fine." she said quickly before letting a torrent of questions run out of her mouth like a broken faucet. "So how is he doing? What's he been up to? Does he have a girlfriend? You do know all of this, right?" she hesitated before sighing, "Does he remember me?"

Taylor looked her in the eye and hesitated before drawling, "Fine, nothing, no, and yes, in that order. And yes, he remembers you."

He couldn't quite recall when they'd stopped dancing and began to simply stand their. His hand was intertwined with hers, his other on her waist while her other hand rested on his shoulder. Yet, their feet had stopped moving.

Part of Taylor felt relieved. Yet, the other part was nagging him in guilt. He'd gotten out part of the truth. But he hadn't gotten out the whole truth. It would have to come out eventually. A part of him wondered what made him think she'd be angry when she heard him out. _Maybe she'll be happy._ He thought, half heartedly. He knew good and well that she wouldn't be happy to find out that her new confidante was a liar and nothing more. But it was better to get it out sooner. He sighed, "You kn--"

"I remember when we were 8." Veronica interrupted, her eyes filled with a combination of excitement, and amusement, "We were by the creek, catching tadpoles. I had fallen and cut my finger on a rock. It was nothing big, actually, but I was making a huge fuss about it. So he kissed my finger and told me it would be alright."

She really missed him. She truly missed her best friend. She truly _needed_ her best friend. Now, more than ever. And yet, she had nothing more than empty friendships and a traitorous liar to lean on. Taylor felt a pang of guilt larger than the last as the thought flew into his mind.

"He was my real best friend." she said quietly. "At least, he was supposed to be. But ever since he moved to England, he's been ignoring my calls. Maybe he wants to forget about me. But to me, he's still my best friend." she grinned at Taylor, "I'll never forget: Tad Wendell Valentine."

"Actually…"

Veronica blinked, surprised to find someone other than herself there listening to her go on and on about her former best friend. She giggled, obviously embarrassed. Taylor paid it no mind. He simply continued, "Actually…You know that the only reason he's called Tad is because he ate a tadpole when he was 2, right?"

Veronica blinked, "Really?"

"I was the only one who knew that." he said, keeping his eyes on his feet. "After the little tadpole eating incident, his mother called him Tad for the rest of the day. He begged and begged to be called that forever. He thought his real name was too girly, you know?" he let out his breath, glad to find something to say.

Veronica, however, narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh? And just what is this girly name that nobody knew about?"

Taylor looked from his foot to hers. How pretty her toes were, the nails decorated with a pale pink. One…two…three…four….five nails covered in pink. Five more on the other foot, neither of which were moving. He forced himself to look up at the beautiful girl that clung to his neck.

She was staring at him through narrow eyes again, but this time, as if she were observing something. Finally, her cheeks drained in color as her blue eyes widened. It all made sense now: his hesitation to say things, his uncanny ability to make her laugh, the way he'd held her in the girls bathroom. And now, the reason why he could barely look her in the eye now after weeks of misguiding. She'd finally put his silence and hesitation together and multiplied it by her recognition. It made a perfect formula. "…Tad?" she said, staring at him in disbelief.

Slowly he shook his head. "Not Tad." he said, his voice halting hesitantly, yet pressing on with a depressed tone that was as clear as uncut ice. "Taylor." He forced himself to look in her eyes. "Taylor Wendell Valentine."

* * *

THE STORY IS NOT OVER YET!!! and if you thought it was, you must be crazy!

Ok, so I bet you guys weren't expecting _that_ little twist. XD I'll hae you know that this was the hardest chapter for me to write. Simply because I didn't want you guys to know "the big surprise" until he actually said it. I didn't want there to be any hints, unless they were super subtle. Basically, whenever I wrote from Taylor's point of view, it was SUPER hard, because I had to get the point across in a way that didn't give anything away, and would be an eye-opener once you re-read it with the knowledge of Tad's true identity. But now that you know that Taylor really is Tad, then if you re-read through this and previous chapters, you'll probably see the true meaning behind some of the things he says. (and some things will hit you and you'll go, "Ohhhhhhh!!! I totally get it now!" lol)

As a matter of fact, most things he says and most of the narratives about him were written so that they'd make sense for the situation. But then you re-read back it, you can kind of see the true, hidden meaning behind everything. I'll give you a few examples from this chapter,

1. _Tootie grinned, "If you got a penny for every time somebody else said that, you'd be a rich man. Super rich!" Tootie could've sworn that when she said that, Taylor went a little bit pale, and his smile faded a bit._ (chapter 4) It was kind of obvious from the beginning that Tad didn't want his "new" friends to see his house. When Tootie later mentions being rich, we now know why he pales. He think she knows something.

2._ "I wish I coulda seen that!" Taylor laughed, "Timmy was so mean to her then." _(Chapter 6) Obviously, whoops, Taylor slipped up. He makes a nice save later on, though.

3. _Trixie?_ he thought, This_ is Trixie? Wow. She's certainly a lot different from what I thought she'd be like. _(chapter 7) Now, obviously, it makes a lot of sense without even knowing that he's acutally Tad. But when we know that he's Tad, this statement can be taken as him basically saying: "Trixie? _This_ is Trixie? Wow. I didn't expect her to be like _this_. I thought she'd grow up a little bit."

Obviously, I pulled this out of some stuff that didn't really matter, but I'm sure that you can find more if you look for it. And obviously, the chapter that holds the most of these "hidden meaning statements" is Chapter 10. Just reread through it and remember that Taylor is actually Tad, but nobody knows it yet". And of course, if you're too lazy to do that, but still want to know what the statements are, or if you're just plain confused over what just happened and need a question answered, just send me a Private Message, and I'll be more than happy to send you an answer, or whatever you need. :)

Thanks for reading and reviewing and stay tuned. We still have a LOOOONNNG way to go before this story reaches it's conclusion.


	13. Chapter 13

I'm BAAACK! Oh man, I'm SO sorry for taking so long, but the school year got hectic. I'm a junior now, so I'm taking practice SATs and ACTs, studying for the REAL SATs (which I'm taking this Saturday, March 1. Wish me luck! and ACTs, looking for colleges, scholarships, grants, not to mention the crapload of homework that I get in every single class...whoo! Busybusybusy. But, Christmas break is here! Thank...goodness... By the way, I hope you guys had a great Christmas, Kwanza, Hannakah, or whatever it is that you yourself celebrate! And I also hope you had a great New Year :)

Ok, so after a long break (sorry again!) we're back in action:)

Also, I'd like to thank everyone wh reviewed! I truly appreciate it. I really do. You have no idea how much. : )

DISCLAIMER: I do not own. So leave me in my home, not in court. Or jail. As that song goes, "You know what they'd do to guys like me in prison..." (except I'm not a guy. lol)Yeah, ANYWAYS...

* * *

Veronica stared up at him, his words echoing in her ears. _Not Tad...**Taylor**_. She stared at his shoulder, trying to piece things together, even though he'd already done it. She just needed to let it sink in, to let her mind wrap around it. Her mind had to stretch slowly. Because if you try to stretch something too much, it'd break. And as smart as she was, she just couldn't get her head around this piece of information. She couldn't swallow it. She blinked, her eyes stinkng a little bit. She managed to keep the tears from falling until they finally disappeared. 

It just didn't make sense! Tad was in England. Taylor said he moved here from Ohio. She paused. What else was there that didn't make sense? She couldn't think of anything. But it couldn't be true; he couldn't have seriously done this to her. She felt a pounding sensation in her stomach..._is this punishment for what I did to Trixie?_ she thought hopelessly. Desperately, she tried to find any piece of information to prove that Taylor was lying. But there wasn't anything else. She thought back on everything that'd happened between since he'd come to Dimmsdale. Or rather, since he came _back_ to Dimmsdale. She thought of how he'd listened to her problems and held her close to comfort him. _Tad..._ How despite every false image of herself that she put up with Trixie, he'd seen past it, seen beyond the fake images to the girl crying out for help. _Tad..._Her stomach twisted into a knot, and she suddenly felt very warm.

She remembered how he'd comforted her in the bathroom, and tried to build her up as she tore herself down. _And I felt worthless because of it, _she'd said,_ I remember thinking, 'My best friend in the whole world doesn't even want to talk to me anymore. I must be some kind of trash.'_ It was his response that should have set something off in her head:

_"That's not true..._"

A barely audible gasp escaped her parted lips and her stomach twisted, more violently this time. Her eyes burned, but her eyes remained dry.

She remembered how Taylor had come to her cheerleading practice to talk to Trixie. "So, why did you want to ask me to prom? I mean, you don't even know me." he'd said. With a chill, she remembered Trixie's response. It made so much sense now. _I know you better than you think... _Even that dumb bitch had been able to see it before she had. _She_ was supposed to be his best friend. And she hadn't even recognized him standing right in front of her the entire time.

A small part of her broke. Why was everything that she held true suddenly breaking? It seemed like every time she finally found something tangible to hold onto, it broke, leaving her with nothing again. Her face felt hot, and she was confused. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to face this. She didn't even want to face it. Not all of it, anyway. It was too much...She couldn't do this. She wasn't sure if she hated him, or not. She didn't even know. She couldn't think straight. She could barely breath correctly. She would exhale, and once she finished, instead of inhaling again, she'd keep on exhaling, forcing that list bit of air out of her lungs, like a crying baby that could no longer make noise with their long drawn out sob, but kept pushing anyway, their cry now temporarily muted until they inhaled with a gasp and started all over again. However, she inhaled quietly. She refused to let him know that she was on the verge of losing her mind.

_But doesn't he already know?..._

This whole time, she noticed, Taylor was deathly quiet. She could feel that he'd tensed up quite a bit; waiting for her reaction. She looked up at Taylor...Tad...what was she supposed to call him now? A shot of anger ran through her, but she didn't know how to feel. How could she trust anything anymore? Including her feelings; she couldn't trust her emotions if she couldn't even trust herself anymore.

It was hell. It was torture. It hurt to even speak. But she managed to force it out of her mouth, and in a barely audible voice, she'd finally said something. "So you lied to me?" She tried to sound strong, but her voice was shaky. Her stomach wrenched horribly, and she had to force herself not to lean on him. It was then that she realized that she was trembling. She wasn't sure why.

Taylor tensed up even more at her question. After a moment, she felt him relax a bit, heard him sigh dejectedly. Finally, he spoke, his voice even quieter than hers. "Yes."

The rushing sound filled her ears again as she felt as if she'd been power-kicked in the stomach. Her face became dangerously hot, and her eyes began to burn. Finally, the tears began to quietly escape. She stared at his shoulder, not even blinking as the tears finally came.

So it was him. She'd lost a best friend and gained a new one, and it turned out they were both him all along. All this time, she'd thought he hated her. She thought he'd abandoned her. She'd thought he'd forgotten about her, occupied with his new life in London. And all that time, he'd been there with her. Literally. But what about the time period between those two moments? He'd never returned her calls, e-mails, never made any effort. She didn't know what to think. Her mouth filled with a sickly warmth. She thought about moments that she'd had with Tad, and moments that she'd had with Taylor.

And finally, she lifted the gaze of her wet eyes off of his shoulder. She let go of his hand, and took her other off his shoulder, roughly shoving him away. She felt his hand slide off of her waist, and the sudden loss of warmth left her feeling empty. But no more empty than she already felt. The rushing sound in her ears became a bit louder, and her stomach was tumbling around non-stop. She looked at him. His cheeks were flushed. His green eyes were darker, and he stared at her, his expression filled with guilt and sadness. When he saw that she was crying, his expression changed to one of hurt, and his arms started to move, before he let his hand gently hold onto his other wrist. She blinked again, and more tears silently fell. The rushing in her ears became loud, and her twisting stomach was becoming unbearable. She felt as if she'd just walked into a furnace, she was so hot. Without a second thought, she turned and made her way thgough the crowd of slow dancing couples. When she finally escaped the crowd, she allowed her self to break into a run as she made her way to the bathroom.

* * *

Taylor felt sick. He wanted to die. Veronica didn't say anything. She just stared at his shoulder, silent. He could feel her trembling un his hands. He shut his eyes. Why did he even bother coming back to Dimmsdale? He wished he hadn't. He could've avoided this. He had changed over the years. What made him think that he could just waltz back into his old life as a new person and everything would be normal? How dare he! He should've known that things would be different. He'd grown up. And, as he'd found out, so had everyone else. Some more than others. He'd missed everyone. But he was starting to think that he'd have been better off missing them. Now he was about to lose his closest and dearest friend. All because he had to come back. All because he had to lie. 

When he heard her speak those searing words, he wanted to wither.

"So you lied to me?"

His stomach tightened. _No!_ he wanted to yell, _I just wanted to be _meBut he couldn't say that. Because even though it was true, Veronica was right. He'd lied. A sudden pain filled his chest, and he felt like he couldn't breath. With reluctant determinatin, he forced the word to come. "Yes."

She looked at him, full of helplessness, pain, and sorrow. And then she'd walked away. And he died on the inside because he knew that his best friend, his truest friend, all of his memories since childhood, were gone forever.

* * *

She burst into a stall, and collapsed onto the sparkling clean floor. Dizzyness overcame her. She kneeled over the toilet, knowing what was coming next. Whenever she was overly worried or overly stressed, her mother would say, "It's ok, Ronnie. Calm down before you make yourself sick." She'd never believed her until it actually happened. It had felt terrible. And she'd only been worrying about the _one_ word she hadn't memorized for her part in the play. Time after time, she'd worry herself to the point of sickness. And she'd learned something. The more she worried, the sicker she'd be, and the worse it would feel when it happened. The worry that she had right now? It was a doozy. But nothing happened. She waited and waited. And nothing happened. Every time she tried to stand, her stomach would twist, as if it had a mind of it's own, and was pacing around like a lion, making a false jump for it's prey whenever it tried to escape. Finally, she resolved to ignore it, and stumbled out of the stall. 

She supported herself against the counter and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were angry. Her eyebrows were pointed down in an expression of frustration, which surprised her. She hadn't even realized that she'd been doing that. The skin just around her eyes, where one would apply eyeliner the proper way, was red. And the rest of her skin was blotchy, reds and pinks dancing around her face. Her nose was red, and her cheeks were shiny and slick with tears.

And she didn't care. All of the pent up anger and frustration, all of her pain, all of the betrayls she'd ever suffered, her irritation at why she'd taken so long to free herself...it was all building up. Her stomach wrenched violently, and she trembled with anger, and every other negative emotion. Her sight became blurry. Finally, she put her head down on the counter.

And she yelled.

Veronica found that when she needed to deal with something, mental visualization helped. Expecially when she managed to achieve what she was dealing with. For her depression, she always envisioned a chain. One end was deep in the ground, stick in everything that she used to be. The other end was around her ankle, refusing to let her go.

Right now, she could see the chain in her mind's eye. That chain that had binded her for so long to everything she'd ever done in her life. Even after losing Trixie, she'd been attatched to that burden. The chain had taunted her, letting her wander off and just as she thought she was free, it tightened, not allowing her to go any further. The tears came heavier now, fresh ones falling before the first one even began to roll down her cheeks. Slowly, she inhaled, her breath sounding shaky and weak. But she was strong. She knew it. All this time, she'd been acting so weak. She could see them, each big, strong chainlink. They grated against each other tensely, as she fought to break free of it for all that time. Even after breaking away from Trixie, she'd felt weak; a voice inside of her was constantly telling her she couldn't do it: Trixie's voice. She'd put it there herself, that was the worst part. And even after she'd dropped Trixie, that voice hadn't dropped her. She chastise herself with that voice: _You acted so weak. You're not as strong as you think you are. You'll crawl back within a week...How could you have tried to be her? What were you thinking? Why would you want to be like someone like that? Why couldn't you be you? Why'd you waste your entire life trying to live as someone else?... _But she had to let it go. She knew she did, if she ever wanted things to get better; if she ever wanted herself to get better. As she yelled, she felt her self-hatred, her pain, her betrayls, her irritation, her anger-- she felt it all start to fade. And the longer she yelled, the more it diminished. And after yelling for the second time, it felt as though a chain had snapped. And she could see it finally snapping, the chain links themselves shattering with a brilliant sparking of rusted metal.

She'd finally let go.

And as she stared at the mirror, she could see herself. Her stomach felt fine. She wasn't burning up anymore. Her hands weren't trembling. She felt so much better. And she knew that this time, she wasn't held back by anything. Slowly, a small smile formed on her face. She turned on one of the sinks, and washed her face. After drying it and putting on a little more lip gloss, she sighed, ready to go back.

She wasn't sure how to handle Taylor..Tad...whoever he was. She was still mad at him, more than she'd been in the beginning, despite letting go of everything. He was everything that she'd spent so much time telling him he wasn't: an unkind person, a fake..._a liar_! She shut her eyes and sighed before opening them again. She looked at herself in the mirror, and a slow grin formed as she remembered what she'd say to herself when she was little. "Buck up!" she said. She smiled, and added on something new, a determined look on her face. "Since when do you need a guy to determine your happiness. He's just like Trixie. He had you fooled. Let it go. Forget him, like you did her. This is your _prom_! Don't let him ruin it. Go have fun. Deal with him later." It didn't work very well. She walked out of that bathroom, _slightly_ renewed in spirit. She made it out just in time to hear Principal Manning start speaking.

"Attention, students. If you please, we have an announcement." Immediately, the music died down, and the conversation faded. Everyone knew what was happening. Veronica glanced around. No Taylor in sight. _Good._ she thought, _He ought to feel bad._ She decided then and there that if she did see him, she'd ignore him. At least until she got over it. Which would be a while.

"We, the staff of Dimmsdale High, are pleased to introduce you to your Prom Queen this year..." she pretended to be unable to read the name on the paper. The students all groaned, the anticipation too much. Mrs. Manning laughed. "Ok, ok. The Prom Queen this year is..." she glanced at the paper, "Veronica Langston!"

Veronica's stomach jumped, but immediately calmed down. She could see everyone around her clapping, but couldn't hear it. She was lost in her own shock. _She _was prom queen? She won? She blinked. She'd forgotten all about wanting to be prom queen when she'd seen Tayor at the foot of her steps in a tuxedo. Now it all came back to her. Her lips formed a small smile as a spotlight spun wildly around the room, stopping finally when it found her. It engulfed her in light. In that moment, she was grateful for her ambition to be prom queen, a dream that came to existence when she was 8. If it weren't for that dream, she might've never torn away from Trixie. It was the one thing that motivated her to free herself. She hadn't cared that much about herself. But her dreams were another story. _Now,_ she realized with a smile,_ I care about both._

"And our Prom King, Taylor Jordan!"

Everyone burst into applause again. Veronica blanched. _No..._ The spotlight left her to spin around the room again in a wild effort to spot Taylor. To her horror, it stopped a few feet away from her. She looked over. He was in the spotlight, looking at her. His expression was still guilty, and apologetic. Veronica stared at him, furrowing her eyebrows a bit.

"Well, come on up and get your crowns, you two!" Mrs. Manning smiled, "Then, you two will dance."

Taylor raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. Was she willing to dance with him? Could she forgive him, for at least 3 or 4 minutes? Veronica looked at him for a moment longer before turning away, and walking towards their principal.

When she'd reached Mrs. Manning, she reached out to take her crown. Instead, she reached over her head. Veronica paused, puzzled. She turned. Taylor held it. She stared at him, keeping her expression calm, but her eyes were burning daggers through him.

He held the crown gingerly in both of his hands, and gently, he placed it on her head. He gazed at her, looking like he wanted to say something. But he didn't. Instead, he looked up at the principal, who placed his crown on his head.

Veronica watched him, not sure how to deal with him. She wasn't expecting to see him again so soon. But now that she was forced with him, unprepared no less, she was at a loss and could do nothing but think. She felt angry, sad, betrayed, and disappointed. She wasn't sure which feeling was the strongest, but they were all reaching 100 on her emotion meters.

Taylor held out his hand, and Veronica stared at it. _Pause... Hesitate... Think... Forget how to think... Grasp..._

Veronica took his hand. The warmth that she'd felt earlier-- the warmth of someone else's skin touching yours-- came back. But the feeling of security was gone. She let him lead her into the middle of the dance floor. The students, all watching in anticipation, moved out of the way to clear a little space for them, then fell in, surrounding the couple. They all smiled, oblivious to the tension between the two.

The song started, and Veronica froze. She felt Taylor pause too. _Time After Time_. Veronica almost let her resolve break, and almost started to cry again. It felt like Fate was having a good time torturing her.

_The two ten year olds were at the wedding of Valerie, Veronica's older sister. Veronica sat at the table, watching dreamily as her older sister and her husband danced alone on the dance floor to the song. _Their _song, she thought, mesmerized. It was so romantic. _

_She could hardly wait to be married, to dance with her husband in front of everyone to "Their" song. _

_After the song ended, everyone clapped. Another song began to play, and the guests now filled in on the dance floor, slow dancing. Mothers with their babies, fathers with their precious baby girls, parents, even a couple of teenagers...everyone was dancing. _

_She wished she could. However, Tad, who was next to her, was too busy eyeing the food on her plate. She knew it was only a matter of time before he asked, "Hey, you gonna finish that?" _

_She wished that somebody... _anybody... _would ask her to dance. Tad certainly wouldn't. He was more interested in food than romantic dreams and dancing. A pang of disappointment filled her stomach. She wasn't quite sure why. She'd noticed that lately, she felt different around him. She put a little more care into her appearance if she knew they'd see each other. She found everything he said to be either funny or adorable, and she wasn't sure why. She'd even giggled once. She hadn't giggled since she was 5. What was going on?_

_"Hey, Ronnie?"_

_Veronica looked up. The first thing she noticed was his green eyes. They were so pretty. She often found herself envious of them. But right now, she couldn't help but notice how cute he looked with his blonde hair tumbling into his eyes. _

_"Yeah?" she said, forcing herself to stop thinking those things._

_"Um..Do you, ah...would you...um..." his cheeks flushed a pale pink, and Veronica ended up turning pink herself, "Wanna dance?"_

_Veronica felt her face go completely hot and her stomach became fluttery. "Um...yeah."_

_Tad nodded. "Ok. Um, sweet." He stood up and she followed suit. Side by side, they walked to the dance floor. When they found an empty spot, they hesitated, staring at each other awkwardly. Tad rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled nervously. Veronica looked everywhere but at him, convincing herself that she was only looking for her sister. She was jolted back to the real world when she felt two hands slowly and hesitantly touch her waist. Her eyes found their way to her best friend, who was pinker than ever. _

_Veronica let her hands find his shoulders, and awkwardly, they started to move. A couple of bystanders going "Awwww..." and "How cute!" only made things more awkward. However, after a moment, they relaxed. After all, they were dancing with their best friend. It wasn't that bad. Veronica let her ears tune into the music. _

_"If you're lost, you can look, and you will find me  
Time after time..."_

_A tiny smile started to form, and she looked down, biting her lip to hide her smile. _

_This was it. _

Their_ song._

The two of them knew they needed to start dancing, but neither could move. The music stopped. The students around them started murmuring in confusion. The music started again. This time, they forced themselves to dance.

Veronica stared at her feet, but could feel Taylor's gaze burning into her. Finally, she looked up. She must have had an angry expression, because his sad expression changed to one of surprise and he looked away, startled. This time, Veronica stared at him, a subtle glare taking over her features. Finally, Taylor sighed and looked at her.

"Veronica...I'm sorry." Taylor said quietly. The rest of the student body watched them happily, snapping pictures and cooing over how cute they were together.

It was just like old times.

"I bet." Veronica mumbled.

"Veronica--"

"Look, Taylor, Tad--whoever you are," she snapped, "I don't really want to hear it. I mean--How could you?"

Taylor opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. So Veronica continued, "All this time, while you were gone, I thought you hated me! You never returned my calls and emails, never even contacted me! And then, all of a sudden, you waltz back here, and pretend to be a different person! What is--" she paused, before speaking. "I poured out my soul to someone that I thought I knew, and it turns out I did know you. But at the same time, I have no clue who you are." her voice cracked and she looked away.

"Veronica, I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry. I just---I don't know. There's no excuse for what I did. I--"

A loud gasp from the crowd distracted them both. They looked towards the doors, where everyone else was looking. Trixie walked in. She wore a form fitting shimmery pale golden gown. A slit traveled up her leg to mid-thigh. Her makeup was flawless, covering up any signs of the healing damage that Veronica had done. Her mouth wasn't frowning, but it wasn't smiling either. Her eyes were half shut as she scanned the room, nose in the air. She saw Veronica and froze. So did Veronica. The two of them stared at each other, the room deathly silent, except for the music playing. Trixie's expression wilted, but Veronica was the only one who saw it. Trixie's eyes narrowed as if she was about to cry, and her mouth turned down in a sad frown. She looked down at the floor, as if unsure of what to do with herself. She blinked and looked at her shoes, then the principal, then the ceiling, then back at Veronica. Her eyes stared into Veronica's sadly.

How was it that she was the only one who knew what was going on with Trixie's emotions? Surely she wasn't the only one to have noticed...

...was she?

Trixie's chest heaved in a heavy sigh that Veronica couldn't hear from the distance, but knew was happening. She knew her inside out, and she didn't like it.

Just like that, Trixie fixed her face back into it's previous expression and lifted her head again. She turned to go join her friends, but it was a little too late. Veronica had seen it; she'd seen the look of sadness hidden in her friends dark eyes. And now she was gone, vanished into the crowd to get to her friends. The other Elites.

Everyone relaxed again, and joined in the slow dance.

Taylor looked at her, trying to figure out what had just happened. After a moment, he opened his mouth to continue speaking.

"You know, I don't even want to hear it." Veronica said, "You're full of shit. And apparently you always have been."

She removed her crown, shoved it into his hands, and walked away, not bothering to look back.

* * *

Whoooo!!! That felt SOOO good! I was anxiously awaiting the day I'd be able to finally update this bad boy. 

Ha-HA! Man, that felt good! Lol, ok, so anyway, I hope you guys liked this! I'm going to get started on the next chapter right away. I didn't actually want to end this chapter quite yet, but I figured I should,because that's the only part where I could end the chapter without it seeming stupid. That, plus I didn't end it there, the chapter would've been twice as long. Seriously. lol.


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